Wolf among the Sheep
by Tourmaline-BANG
Summary: Five years ago Alice remembered waking up from a strange dream. But what if it wasn't? Once again Alice falls into Wonderland no longer ruled by the Role Holders. This time it's under the twisted rule of a new evil. She'll do anything to go gt her memories back even if that meant saving this country and Role Holders she once knew.
1. Prologue

_**Wolf among the Sheep**_

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Heart no Kuni no Alice nor their characters

 **A/N: Originally I decided on Rated M but I discovered I wasn't very good at dark themes. Without dark themes like murder it's safe to say this will be Rated T**

 **Update: I also finished making new cover page featuring (from left to right) Edith, Alice and Andrew! I hope this will immerse you into the story better ^_^**

 _I haven't written an actual story so I decided to cross that out of my bucket list, right now my priority is making a story I can enjoy :D It doesn't have to be liked but it would make me happy just to see some people enjoy it like I do_

 _Apologies if characters are out of place but this is the version I enjoy ;;u;; / I hope you will enjoy these versions of the characters with me, don't worry it's not going to change their overall personality._

* * *

 _Prologue_

Alice Liddell fell in love with sword fighting 4 years ago and soon it turned into a passion. When university got to her head, when the pressure of being the club president got too much but most of all it was where she could release all her bottled emotions. She considered herself a worthy daughter to the Liddell family, but that itself was only a thought that kept her from losing her sanity in her University.

She had an above average grades, a fairly high position in the student council, a position as the president in the newspaper club, a great reputation and she was never short of friends. She had a wonderful older sister as a role model and a little sister who looked up to her while supporting her till the end. There was no way she wouldn't set an example. She wasn't as popular with the opposite sex but she knew her worth. She believed with all her heart that she was special and because of that she was able to achieve so much in life.

Yet, there was something else missing inside of her and it that tiny thought started to manifest itself within her mind 5 years ago.

Five years ago, Alice had agreed to play cards with her sister Lorina but dozed off into sleep from all the waiting. When she finally woke up, dreams and visions started invading her mind. She felt like it had already happened. Visions of people, places and events from another world, and she was fairly certain it was more than a dream. It almost seemed like…they were memories.

She wanted to know so much what had happened on that day, it drove her insane. Lorina simply dismissed her thoughts convincing Alice it was just a dream. Although Edith would humor her by adding in other fantasy details, Alice knew Edith thought she was making it all up. She didn't try to bring it up with her parents. Who knows what they'll do, they might even suggest visiting a therapist. Alice didn't like the idea one bit. It was then she found solace in martial arts and sword fighting after one of her colleagues invited her to a mock battle.

Alice decided to pursue it...not after getting a taste of utter defeat on her first match.

She was willing to go through harsh training just to distract herself from these questions and slowly it worked. Alice no longer thought about the incident, and steadily it was buried away deep in her mind.

"Alice look out! He's going to beat you!" a bystander screeched in the distance. Alice quickly snapped from her trance as she barely missed her opponent's blade. _'Oh my God! Alice how could you forget you're in a tournament!'_ Alice mentally cursed herself for letting her guard down. Her opponent wasn't giving much of a fight that she found the time to daydream. She opened her eyes in a desperate need to see who almost hit her.

 _Andrew!_ It took a great deal of energy to suppress the urge to just kick him in the shin for breaking her little daydream. Instead, with a swift flick of her wrist she disarmed her opponent before lifting the pointed tip of the blade onto his neck. A few moments later his sword fell down with an echo on the polished wooden floor of the training center.

"Congratulations, Liddell. Looks like you'll be able to participate in the semi-finals. But if you do that stunt again, you're disqualified, Got that." The older man droned out as he scribbled away on the papers on his clipboard looking rather...irritated. _'Ack, Mr. Wilson noticed that!'_ Alice hurriedly composed herself a bit flustered for forgetting the basics.

"I'm so sorry sir. I was…thinking ab—"

"Age?" Mr. Wilson asked still scribbling away.

"What—"

"Age." The man growled as he pointed to clipboard on his hand pertaining to Alice's registration.

"Twenty."

When Mr. Wilson had finished scrawling in the details he sauntered over to another pair of students. "Next! If any of your heads aren't in the match right now you can forget about the semi-finals" Alice froze, that comment was definitely meant for her. ' _Yikes!'_ Four years into the program and she still hasn't even seen the old man smile.

"Hey Alice, want something to drink? I can treat you to some free water to congratulate your 45th win over me." Andrew jabbed a thumb at the water cooler's direction obviously a little down Alice beat him. Again. She elbowed the man with a grin and nodded in reply. Andrew walked her towards the water station with a sigh "First martial arts now sword fighting? What's next? Wrestling? Are you sure you're not mad at me..." He took an empty plastic cup from the dispenser waiting for his turn.

"Andrew, it's not like that. If I was mad at you I'd knock you unconscious then throw you to the bottom of the sea" Alice rolled her eyes jokingly as she took a sip of water from her cup. She knew what he was hinting at. She flitted her eyes at his figure, Andrew was a man with a medium build who was a bit taller than her. His shoulder-length black raven hair was tied to a neat pony tail making it easier to see his turquoise eyes. He often wore his heart on his sleeve with that grin of his. He was more of a gentleman with the way he moved and he wasn't much of a sword-fighter but Alice would often drag him with her during practice.

"Without my father who's going to protect my family. Lorina? Come on, my sister's a total lady she's definitely going to inherit the family business and Edith's still in high school but if I practice real hard I might be able to teach her a few tricks to protect herself in the future" Alice snapped as she downed the rest of her cup. Without a doubt she knew Andrew was a monster when it came to Taekwondo, something he had been hiding till the incident he and Lorina were cornered by a bunch of thieves.

"You know you can't carry a sword in public-"

"Anything we get our hands on can be used as a sword, Andrew"

"Oh? so you can use that cup as a sword then?" Andrew jokingly grinned as he flaunted his empty cup at her.

"Haha. Real funny, you know what I meant"

"I'm just joking! Lighten up, you've been a real stick in the mud lately." Andrew playfully threw his cup into the bin before his usual smile turned to a softer yet serious look "Your sister, Lorina, and I are just worried about you, you've been going into these sword practices more often. Tell me that's something Lorina and I shouldn't be worried about. If there's something that's bothering you, you can tell us" His voice turned to a whisper.

"Alice, you know that, right?"

Alice closed her eyes and inhaled deeply and looked straight into his eyes. Andrew Evans was her sister's fiancé and…

Her ex-boyfriend.

She could remember how much it had hurt her 5 years ago when Andrew finally told her the truth. The fact that he only wanted to be with her just so he could get closer to Lorina. The break up was ugly, it left her questioning whether she could love again. She would lash out whenever he was there and blame him. It took her months to realize she too made mistakes, both of them weren't perfect and neither was their relationship. She had relied on him too much for happiness all because she didn't love herself.

Even after the break up, Andrew would still visit her and try to engage a conversation. It took Alice at least a year to be ready but she couldn't be happier knowing her sisters and Andrew still loved her in their special ways. Andrew had even devised Project Love Yourself program just for her during her lowest moments. Sure enough Alice learned that she was better than this, and this has only a small part to do with her. A part of her can change.

And she did.

"Yeah, I know" Alice sighed as she packed her stuff in the benches. "You're doing too much for me Andrew, Are you sure you're practicing what you preach? What was it again? Love yourself more?" She pulled her rubber elastic letting her hair down while she slung her bag on her shoulder.

"I prefer the term looking out or else you might cover yourself in toilet paper again and hide un-" Before he could finish his sentence a hand clamped his mouth shut

"W-we agreed to never talk about that again!" Alice shrieked as she placed a finger to her lips trying to shush the man of her past misadventures during her early years in the newspaper club. It was so hard looking for a scoop back then.

Andrew closed the door behind them before accompanying Alice on the way home. The sun was setting and the caramel ribbons in the sky gave an ethereal glow to the neighborhood. There were people strolling to new shops in the sides. Little food stands were littering the sidewalks as well, Alice couldn't help but think about dinner. Andrew cleared his throat breaking the silence.

"So..the sun is-"

"Andrew you know I hate small talk, just get to the point"

' _Wow, way to shoot me down there'_ he laughed meekly in his head. "O-okay, Well I was thinking about how pretty those flowers were" He pointed at some of the flowers a vendor handed to a customer. 'Flowers huh?' Alice thought as she placed a finger on her chin. "Daffodils would look pretty cute on your hallway, right?" 'Ah, so that's what it's about' Alice looked over to Andrew wearing a devilish grin on her face. The man beside her paled in contrast, wondering if he touched a nerve.

"Lavender, she loves lavender flowers" As expected, Alice knew he was talking about Lorina. He smiled as he scratched the back of his head.

Alice smirked as she tossed her hair over shoulder and sauntered over the small flower boutique. "After you~" she made a mocking curtsy motioning him to the lavender flowers in the side. "Please, you need to make a better curtsy for the King of Flowers" Andrew melodramatically placed a hand on his heart while wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. Soon enough the two of them started laughing.

* * *

Alice opened the door motioning the man beside her to put the fresh picked flowers onto the vase in the corner. First she needed to go to her room to change. Second, she needed to set the plates after Lorina and Andrew volunteered to make dinner. Lastly, she needed some peace and quiet.

I'm finally home.

Opening the doors to her bedroom she stared at the gloomy little room she would often spend most of her time. It was tidy, orderly and most of all, lonely.

She sauntered to her room, dropping her bag to side and throwing her university blazer on her bed. Opening her closet she started to change into her usual attire. She looked over her cheval mirror Alice smoothed her knee-length puffed sleeve blue dress down double-checking for any creases. She moved on to make sure her striped stockings were free from any holes. _'Alright!'_ She mentally cheered for herself as she pulled out her white pinafore from her closet. Once it was securely in place Alice slipped on her black knee-high boots in place. She had to admit she missed her ankle-strap shoes but when it came to protection her boots were the best choice.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror once more. Her hair had grown longer but she had to cut it because the idea of her hair always brushing her behind got too much. Alice smiled at the dainty features she had growing out of her baby eyes period. She was looking more and more like Lorina each day. Considering she was a late bloomer it was highly unlikely she'd look exactly like her sister. Oh wait wasn't there something she needed to do?

She should probably go set the plates now, but the idea of laying on her bed seemed like a better choice...and so she did.

Alice plopped down her bed stretching like how a kitten would in comfort. She noticed something poking out of her pillow and quickly knew what it was. Letting out a sigh of mild disappointment she pulled the object from her pillow which turned out to be a notebook. A notebook with pieces of her dreams.

Five years ago she decided to write her experiences despite not making any sense. There were even scribbles of what was suppose to be people. Try as she could, why couldn't she remember the citizens faces. The only faces she vaguely recalled were only a handful of people. Opening the notebook, she was suddenly flooded with vague visions of the past.

"If there's something that's bothering you, you can tell us, huh?" Alice repeated the words Andrew told her earlier. No, she couldn't bring up the topic about her so called dream five years ago. She didn't want to worry Lorina and Edith the most. The thought of that was enough to make her stomach sink with anxiety.

Still couldn't help but feel like there was something missing from her life.

There was a missing piece in her heart she couldn't fill up no matter how many achievements she's gotten. Every night she'd have visions of strangers, weird places and adventures. She'd forget their names the moment she woke up. What scared her the most was that it felt too much like home or more. Alice immediately slapped her cheeks with both her hands shutting eyes tightly.

' _Snap out of it Alice, you are home! You've got a bright future up ahead, everything you need is right here…. .''_

A soft knock in the door startled Alice as she immediately jammed the notebook under her pillow. "Alice, can I come in?" came the gentle voice of her sister, Lorina Liddell. "Just a second!" When the notebook under the pillow was plainly sticking out, all the color from her face drained. She mentally cursed herself as she dropped the notebook on the floor and kicked it under her bed. "Alright! You can come in now!" Alice hastily sat down on the edge of her bed, smoothing down her dress to try and look as presentable as she can.

The door softly creaked as Lorina pushed it open to side and started to study Alice's room before looking at her sister. "Okay, I know what that look means" she chuckled while raising a skeptical eyebrow, while making a quick motion to her sister. "What are you hiding from me this time?" Alice immediately straightened her hair with her palms before hastily giving a reply "Hiding? I'm not hiding anything. Why would I be hiding anything?"

"Alice"

"-Are you hiding anything?"

"Alice"

"Things are fine and how could I possibly be hiding something, just when I…"

Lorina sauntered over to Alice's bed and she sat down beside her little sister. She placed her hand on her little sister's shoulder and with a firmer tone she called out her name "Alice…". This seemed to snap Alice's senses back allowing her to sharply exhale and slowly relax her tense shoulders. Patiently, she waited for what Lorina had to say.

"Do you remember when we used to play cards back outside the garden?" Lorina hummed as placed a hand on Alice's head "You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to, but I want you to know I'll be here for you through thick and thin" Alice's knelt her head onto her sister's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I'm tired" she replied as she felt Lorina gently stroke her hair in a soothing manner "Lorie, I'm not trying to sound ungrateful for everything but I just feel like I'm missing out on something. Everyday I wake up to the same old faces and the same old places but it's not what I'm looking for. Every night in my dreams I see it and I know it's out there just waiting for me to find it"

"What do you see in your dreams?"

"People I don't know, but it feels like I've known them for so long and every time the dream ends I forget their names. I just wish I knew what all of this is trying to tell me."

"Is it the same dream five years ago?" Alice froze right there, her heart stopped for a split second as she felt her stomach lurch. She pulled away from Lorina, looking straight into her teal eyes, her sister's face wasn't laced with concern. Instead what greeted her was a warm smile.

"I've known you for so long, Alice. I know you don't want to talk about it but you need to know I'm here for you, we're here for you, through whatever and whenever. We love you. I love you." Lorina gently pulled her sister into a tight embrace

"Ugh, Lorie you're going to make me cry" Alice whimpered trying to wipe the tears threatening to fall with her sleeves "Ugh! Too late it's already working" she sniffled returning the hug tightly.

"That makes the both of us, oh my Alice..your nose" Lorina stammered as she broke the embrace to wipe her tears in a dignified manner compared to her sister. "You look terrible" Lorina joked as both of them giggled in unison.

"By the way, won't you call little Edith dear?"

"Oh so is this what it was all about!" Alice dramatically gasped throwing her hands in the air in a mocking manner in what was suppose to be shock. Lorina rolled her eyes before making her way to the door. "Alice, I'll have you know Andrew can't handle our hide and seek champion. He'll need some well-trained back up won't he?"

Alice passed by her sister on the door before looking behind her shoulder "Then you called the right person for the job!"

* * *

Edith yawned as she woke up from her nap and stretched her arms. It was already nighttime...Yikes...looks like Alice was going to kill her for sleeping in the garden again. She couldn't help it! The oak tree shade under a quiet afternoon was the best sleeping spot at home. Her room wasn't adequately lit that it almost felt like a room out of a horror flick. Pushing her thoughts aside, she heard Alice calling her name from one of the windows in the house. "I slept that late?"

Edith brushed the leaves that stuck out of her Bob cut hair. She rubbed the sand of her teal eyes before standing up. If one were look at the Liddell sisters now they'd mistake Edith for Alice herself. Five years of growing up wasn't able to give Edith the well-endowed qualities of her sisters. Sure she wouldn't consider herself...blessed...being almost as flat as a board. It was her expressive eyes that brought her charms up. She didn't want to be mistaken as Alice by Alice's high sisters cool friends so she decided a haircut was in order.

Snap!

Edith jumped a little as she eyed the direction where the sound was coming from. Edith blinked slowly as she stared at the white rabbit. It wasn't like she never saw one but this one in particular was wearing clothes. More than that, it was injured, it looked like it hadn't spotted her yet. "He looks so scared" Edith whispered as she shuffled to the side slowly she followed the rabbit.

Wait, is it...talking? She could hear the rabbit muttering what seemed to be words.

' _No s- n-t -er- n- h-e -o-t h-'_

"Edith!" Edith scrambled back in shock and before she could speak the rabbit had already vanished. She didn't want to back down on this and ran towards the spot where the rabbit previously was. It was under another oak tree and instead of seeing the furry creature all she saw a hole on the ground. A dark hole that was eerily enough for a human to fall into. What gave her shivers was that the hole didn't seem to have an end.

"Edith!"

Edith blinked as she was brought back to reality by the sound of her sister's voice.

"Edith! What are you doing out here in the garden this late at night?"

"Whoops, I accidentally dozed off" Edith gave a meek laugh as she scratched the back of her head. "But you wouldn't believe what I saw, it was rabbi—"

"A rabbit?" Alice tilted her head to the side, come to think of it her assignment for one of her projects was related to rabbits. Just a small picture wouldn't hurt anybody right? "You know it's already nighttime Edith, I don't think rabbits would be out and about" Edith's smile sank as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt "Y-yeah I guess, but I really saw one-"

"I believe you"

"Huh?"

"I said I believe you"

"You do?" Edith tilted her head to the side looking like a lost puppy. "If my little sister says so, then I'll believe it so come help me get the camera. Dinner time can wait right?" Alice shot a wink at her little sister's direction who couldn't control the growing smile on her face. That is until the door opened with a rather slightly impatient Lorina and an apologetic Andrew on the side.

"What can wait?" Lorina's foot tapped on the soft grass impatiently, the face she was wearing was pretty firm for someone who was known to be gentle. Alice was about to make a snappy comeback until Lorina's expression turned into horror. Andrew was already running up to them in panic. "Alice what are you doing standing beside that hole!"

Suddenly the ground beneath her gave way. _'What'_ The gaping hole grew wider in size as it tried to swallow the whole Liddell family. Edith tried to get away but stumbled on loose soil on the edges. Alice grabbed a loose tree root. She did it. Barely. Andrew and Lorina fled up to the sisters. "Dammit!" Andrew growled as he reached out to grab Alice. The distance between them was to big. Alice was already at the near bottom of the pit clinging for dear life.

"Edith grab my hand!" Alice reached out barely catching her by the wrist. "Don't let go! I'll ge-" Edith's face paled as she looked over Alice's shoulder "Alice! Big sis is-!"

Before anyone could register what had happened Andrew fell into the hole when he had tried to get a hold of Alice. "Andrew!" The sisters screamed in unison till the sharp sound of the tree roots breaking quickly took their attention. Lorina could feel her heart pounding as she stifled a sob. What does she need to do? How was she going to get her sisters out this? She couldn't breathe. "Ali..." Lorina fainted before falling down the hole as well.

"No!" Edith shrieked as she managed to grab Lorina by her dress. Alice hissed at the added weight as she started to feel herself slipping. Her muscles were aching and her heart was pounding at her ribs. She couldn't take this any longer.

Her grip was starting to weaken "Edith! Don't let go." She shouldn't have looked down. She should've just kept her eyes on the roots she was clinging to for dear life. The moment she looked down and saw the mist hovering the black abyss that was the hole, panic took over her.

SNAP!

The thin piece of wood had snapped off the tree plummeting the remaining Liddell sisters into the darkness. Just like that everything went black.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** _Hey guys I've had this story in my head for months and I just couldn't help but write it down. This is my first story! I hope you guys enjoyed it! I know my grammar can be a bit hard to understand but bear with me /_

 _Alice may be out of character but I envisioned her as a stunning woman who developed as years passed by. Edith on the other hand is the spitting image of Alice during her first trip to Wonderland. As for Lorina I won't delve to deep in her and probably let her stay in the clock tower helping out._

 _I'll be focusing on Alice, Andrew and Edith's adventures in the now war ridden Wonderland. I'm still going to decide which role holders to focus because too many characters is a bit hard._


	2. Ch 1: The Nightmare

**_Wolf among the Sheep_**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Heart no Kuni no Alice nor their characters

 ** _A/N:_** _Yesss I was able to finish Chapter 1, I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing this! Finally some action! /makes punching motions. Also I think a certain nixen knows who I am /rolls_ _I've decided on a few role holders to focus on namely Nightmare, Boris, Blood and as for the remaining two I'll still have to debate over it._

 _I'm not a good writer especially when it comes to characterization and I feel as if my story can be lack luster but I know that if I keep writing I'll hopefully improve ^_^ This story may be riddled with flaws but I am proud to show it off!_

 ** _I want to Thank Yui Yotsuba and RubyAngelFire for adding this to their favorites!_**

* * *

 _Chapter 1: The Nightmare_

 _xXx_

Alice's muscles were aching, her ears were ringing and her head felt like it was splitting in half. What happened?

She closed her eyes and slowly she remembered the garden, how she had proposed to take some pictures of a tiny rabbit and...she was trying to save her sisters.

"Lorie! Edith! -O-ow!" Alice winced when she tried to get up hastily. _'That's right, I fell down a hole...Edith and Lorina too.'_ She looked down on her clothes that were covered in dirt with a few tatters in the sides. Surveying the area she fell into she could tell she was in the woods. There was an abundance of trees coupled with noises from crickets and a few little animals in the distance. She couldn't make them out with the little light from the moon. Luckily, the moonlight was just enough to let her see the clear path in front of her.

 _'That's right, I can't stay here, what if something bad is happening to them right now'_ she thought to herself before planting a hand on the grass. "I need to find them..I nee-" A sharp stab of pain broke her thoughts the moment she tried to get up.

Upon closer inspection it was clear that she had broken one of her wrists. Alice sighed with mild disappointment. It was her dominant hand too. _'This is what I get for trying to hold on to Edith for almost a minute. She should really lay off the desserts. I swear she's getting heavier everyday.'_ There was nothing around her surroundings that could serve as a make shift bandage. That is, if you don't count her dress.

With her free hand, she bit the edge of her dress and teared off a decent length. Grabbing a small branch in the side for support she wrapped it on her wrist as a makeshift splinter. After she was satisfied with her work she stood up with her free hand and dusted her dress.

"Get it together Alice. What. Happened." She inhaled sharply darting her eyes to her surroundings once more, hoping to catch a glimpse of civilization. _'I-it's too quiet' No sounds from the cars, no sounds of people bustling through and definitely no sounds from the woods other than the tiny creatures.'_

Walking on the clear path Alice placed a finger on her chin. "It was definitely nighttime when we fell down and the three of us fell together...So why weren't they beside me when I woke up?". Alice started to pick up the pace. "If they did, there's no way Edith would leave me alone let alone Lorina" Her walking became faster the more anxious she got...Edith and Lorina wouldn't leave her right? She shook her head trying to ignore that possibility but...what if?

Suddenly a deafening scream caught her attention. She swiveled her head to the direction it came from. Left. She could see lights in the distance! Finally, Civilization! But the first agenda was to find the source of the cry. She ran as fast as her legs could take her avoiding all the rocks and the tree branches on her path. Once her feet collided with the cold stone tiles she skidded to a stop.

Her sense of smell was overwhelmed with a strong stench. _'I know this smell!_ ' Alice looked down at the brown stains on the dirty floor like slops of spilled waste. This was something she grew accustomed to for the past four years training her body, it was without a doubt a scent she was familiar with.

"I smell blood."

The brick buildings weren't any different from home itself but the dreary atmosphere told her almost everything she needed to know about this place. It was dangerous. It didn't seem to be as technologically advance as they were seeing there were horses towing carriages in the distance. Wooden doors and windows were shut tight. The lamp posts could only illuminate a few sections of the cobbled street. The streets were stained in what Alice could assume were dried blood that was spilled like sewage. There were figures lurking within shadows in the alleys as gun shots rang in the distance. This was definitely not a nice neighborhood to be in.

She felt a chill down her spine when she saw some of the lamp post lights flicker like a dying candle in the night. Alice needed a weapon, she couldn't just run out in the open like a defenseless puppy. She might as just well be wearing a sign that said shoot me.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a wooden plank on the sides of a broken a cart. This will do! She pressed the sides of the plank on the edge of a window sill. With a swift chop of her uninjured hand she split the wood into two. Now she had a make shift sword for the job.

Again she heard the same voice scream in the distance.

It sounded like a lady. Running towards source of the sound, her heels clacked roughly on the cobbled steps. She made a sharp turn on an intersection and climbed above a slope in the street. She skidded to a stop when she saw the scene before her, looking down on the slope of the street. Three shady figures were dragging a young boy and an old woman to what seemed like a cage on a wheelbarrow. There were two of them, filled with weapons and parked in the side or else they might fall off.

"Stop making this hard on us or we'll have the Duke reconsider his offer!"

"Hey!" Alice hollered on top of lungs. Why did she have shout that loudly. "You-!"

No faces. Alice paled. The men, the little boy and the elderly woman they too didn't have any faces. She already had a heroic speech prepared to pull the two into safety but just the sight before wiped her mind into a blank state. She slapped her cheeks with both her hands, it was a ritual that was obnoxious but efficient in clearing her mind.

The roughly dressed men noticed her, one of them pulled out a weapon. There were just three of them. They were carrying knives. Judging by their stature they were just street thugs, brute and sloppy. Nothing she could handle.

"Ey, that girl there's got a face." ' _My face?'_ Alice swiftly picked up a brick on the side of a house that seemed to be blown up in the past.

"A face? Oh hey you're right, she's got a face Rich!"

"Aye, a face like that's worth more than this ere's pocket money from this job." the large one huffed which Alice could assume was 'Rich'. No, first she needed to make sure those two were safe. Depending on the situation she could easily threw the piece of wood as a spear. "Takes

That's exactly what she did.

Mustering all the strength she could on her non-dominant hand she chucked the wooden object the moment Rich opened his mouth. A long piece of wood collided squarely onto the large man's guts letting out a noise akin to biting into an apple, fully knocking him to unconsciousness. _'Ow, that was too much force for my shoulder. I swear I just heard one of my bones crack'_ she thought spotting a number rocks in the sidewalk. Good enough for a weapon.

Right on schedule. With a quick tap of heel she kicked a stone right onto one of the empty wheelbarrow's wheels. It was enough to jolt the thing to start rolling down the street.

"You sure you should be focusing on me? Right when you're about lose your stuff"

That barrow had almost all of their equipment. The lady with the face may be worth the trouble but the two ruffians had smuggled them hard from the Duke. There was no way they'd let it go. "Bloody hell!" one of them shouted as his partner followed suit leaving their supposed leader behind.

Alice made a swift 'shooing' motion with her hands on the two civilians. "Go! before that guy and his friends get here!" The little boy nodded before chucking something at her direction. Catching the small object she opened her palm to inspect it. A necklace? No there were two pendants attached to it. The first one was a key? It was a little golden key with a heart on the keyhole. Maybe it could open an important chest in the future. As for the second one it was..a locket. She recognized it instantly.

"This is Lorina's locket. Where did you get this!"

The little boy grabbed the elderly's hand and looked back at her. If he had eyes, Alice still found herself to be mildly uncomfortable with it.

"She said if I saw someone that had the same eyes as her I should give this."

"Is she safe?" she asked desperately yet calmed down the minute the little boy nodded his head. Both of the faceless civilians walked to an alley but before they could enter it the boy pointed at her.

"If you want to meet us, open a door with that key, weird lady." he mumbled before entering the alley. "Hey wait!" She still had a lot more questions. Where was this place? Why was violence so rampant here? What did it mean to have a face? Why didn't they have faces. It seemed like the more she wanted answers. The more questions she got.

That's when she heard footsteps behind her. Crap. Reinforcements?

More of them. Correction. Five more of them, this time they wearing masks. "Another one of them Faces I see" the one with the bear mask whistled as pulled out a bat behind him. "I ain't playing around here since you know the drill. You either Come with us missy or somebody's gotta spill blood you see." The next thing that happened left Alice in awe.

The man's bat suddenly glowed and twisted to shape into a gun. What is this! Magic! Not to mention they have guns too! Magic and guns, what a terrifying combination. Could this place be...

"I'll handle this." Alice swiveled her head onto the direction of that voice. That voice was familiar and what met her eyes was a man with a fox mask. Strangely enough she didn't sense anything dangerous from him. Just then he scratched the back of his head, that's when it hit her, she recognized this person. There's no mistaking that habit of his.

"Wait, Andr-" The masked man placed a finger to where his lips would be making a 'shh' motion _. 'It was him, but why is he...'_ Alice shook her head to clear her thoughts. Breathing in slowly, she watched the shadows dance on his fox mask before lowering her arms to the sides.

He approached her slowly but before Alice could ask him anything he yanked her arm pulling her close enough to whisper in her ear.

"Run."

She didn't need to be told again, loosening her grip on the brick she was carrying she threw the heavy object square onto one of the larger men in the background. The group seemed to be confused until Andrew kicked the closest ruffian beside him.

"See ya fellas!" Andrew hollered pulling out items, waving them as he sped off into the streets yanking Alice with him.

"That bloody thief! My wallet!"

"He took mine too!"

The chase was on! The two ran towards to a stack of box carts that served as a makeshift staircase onto one of the house rooftops. Andrew let go of Alice's arm once she started running and pointed upwards. "Brace yourself, we're going up!"

Alice quickly caught up to his pace and ran past him, jumping with ease atop the boxes. She almost lost her footing once she stepped onto the rooftops luckily Andrew caught her stumbling.

"Just keep running till we reach that small house in the sides, we'll hide in the alleys. I fell there and trust me it's a maze down there." he shouted back before jumping to the next building. Alice didn't dare look back. They probably had guns with them so naturally all she had to do was run. Biting her lower lip, she bolted towards the edge of the rooftop and landed strongly onto the next. Squinting her eyes she could make out a large castle in the far distance among the sea of buildings. There wasn't just one.

There were three of them! One in front of her, One to her left and the last one to the right. It was almost like they were caging in the town!

With the wind against her face she struggled to maintain her speed as she progressed through more and more houses. She never felt more alive! The rush of adrenaline was exhilarating, even Andrew was having his fair share of fun with a slight thumbs up signal directed at her.

"Turn right and jump down that small house!" he hollered as he landed on another rooftop, immediately bending over his knees and plastering a hand for support.

"Got it-"

Alice didn't finish her sentence when a flash of recognition passed by the corner of her eye.

"Andrew Down there! It's Edith!"

* * *

Edith rubbed her head before she shot a dirty look at the man who caused her such agony. When she had woken up in alley she heard a commotion outside. Just when she about to run away from it all a strange man entered the same alley she was in and it didn't look like he was about to stop. The rest was history.

"Watch where you're going! You could have hurt someone you know!" Edith wailed as she scrambled to get up.

"That's not an issue" the man panted heavily as he tried to get up. Edith suddenly felt quite guilty after seeing him shake violently. She couldn't see his face but she could tell this man was never one to engage in physical labor.

"Are the people in this place always in a hurry?" she huffed crossing her arms around her chest. Shutting her eyes she snapped her head away from his direction. No! she couldn't feel guilty for this stranger who had the audacity to even bump into a lady! The man was wearing a dark grey suit with what seemed to be a white frilled shirt underneath. If only he didn't have his back against her, she could have given him a piece of her mind!

The strange man shakily stood up managing a to barely support himself. Slowly he turned around. Damn it all, if he had his powers he could have easily found a way to avoid crossing paths with this woman. Everything was so much easier back when he could read people's minds. This woman was probably one of his spies. He couldn't take any chances she needed to go. All he needed to do was lure her in a false sense of security.

"Heh, What's that supposed to mean..."

Edith opened an eye and now that his back wasn't turned against him she could finally see his face. Her eyes flitted on his figure, short smooth silver hair reaching past his chin with a mesmerizing gray eye. _Why!_

 _'Why was he so handsome!'_ Edith shrieked mentally, he even had an eye patch on! It only served to boost his handsome guy points in her heart. How was she going to give this man a piece of her mind! Hah! Fat chance Edith! She looked pathetic right now in contrast to this man whose pale skin seemed to even shine brighter than hers.

 _'He totally looks like a maiden!'_ Edith could feel her heart pounding until he started shouting.

"Alice!"

 _'Huh? Wait, I'm not-'_ "Are you- really her!" he repeated more intently. His eye turned into a darker tone and that was enough to tell Edith the situation was dire. Edith flinched from the desperation in his voice and tried to step back but the strange man grabbed her roughly by her shoulders and pulled her closer. Edith couldn't find the will in herself to move as the man gritted his teeth in a desperate attempt to repeat his question.

"ARE YOU ALICE!"

"N-"

Then, a loud thud echoed through the alley. Edith saw the pain in the man's eyes fade away into unconsciousness as his limp body fell on top of her. Short out of breath Alice was relieved to have managed to find a way to knock him out in time or else she might have clobbered him to unconsciousness. Andrew rushed into the scene immediately and pulled the unconscious man away from Edith. Dragging the man into the side Alice panted heavily, dropping the piece of wood she used to knock his daylights. She had wanted to ask the strange man questions. Fat chance of that now huh?

"Andrew, Is there anything we can use to tie him up?" Right now her first priority was to make sure her little sister was away from danger. She leaned on the wall and slowly slid down to the floor. All the running and fighting was taking a toll on her.

Andrew grinned as he pulled some wires from the large trash bin "Hey Alice! You can get almost anything in the trash!" he beamed, proudly showing off the newfound electrical wires as if it was some achievement.

Alice was having none of that sunny disposition of his. "And why were you with those guys? Is there some secret agent business you're hiding from me?"

"Cut me some slack! When I woke up, I was in one of the alleys! How do you expect me to be some part of a gang in a place we don't even know!" he wailed flinging his arms in response.

"Touche."

"Right, back to the story." he cleared his throat before speaking. "When I was about to ask someone where I was, the moment he turned around he…he didn't have a face." Alice's eyes narrowed, "Just like the ones I saw...we just got our answer. We're not in London, and this isn't a dream either."

She could see Edith shaking out of the corner of eye. "But that doesn't explain how you ended with those guys in the first place"

"Hey, hey, hey, patience. Who's telling the story here?"

"Are you ten! Get to the important part!" Alice groaned as she scooted closer to Edith, patting her little sister in the back. "Edith's not handling this situation in a healthy manner and so am I. We need answers."

"The important part. Here's what happened. Suddenly the guy jumps and grovels down his knees begging for his life." Edith raised a brow that was unexpected. Even Alice had to question that part, especially when all the people she encountered were more than willing to kill you. Alice had to ask. "He was scared of you?."

"It gets...really bad after that"

"Really bad?" Alice shifted her weight to her left leg pondering about the situation Andrew got into. "Yeah, the man looked like he saw a ghost. When I tried to calm him down he screamed 'Don't Kill Me, Please!' then he ran away. I thought maybe I could reason with some of the guards."

"There's guards here?" Edith quipped letting out a sigh of relief. "Then we can get help! Maybe they'll show us the way back home with another hole or a portal?"

"Oh there's guards alright, but not the kind ones Edith." Andrew interjected, a bit guilty seeing as just how he saw Edith's smile drop. Oh cruel fate! Way to shoot down a glimmer of hope in her eyes future brother-in-law. "They chased me after seeing my face. One of them shouted 'What's the Duke's slave doing out here!' during the chase. I managed to shake them off when I hid in one of the abandoned shops."

"That isn't much to go on for us. Faceless people. Faceless guards. Guards mistaking you for someone else, we didn't even get a name out of it."

"That's not the worst part of this story."

Alice and Edith choked as they snapped their heads at his direction. "The worst part!?" Alice resisted the urge to kick this man, even in such a tight situation he still had the audacity to joke around. Classic Andrew.

"Remember that shop I hid in? I managed to get my hands on a mask to hide my face from the people. Just when I thought I got away the guards came back! They we're really that persistent! I really didn't want to resort to violence but-"Andrew murmured, awkwardly playing with the tips of his fingers.

"You kicked them didn't you."

He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Y-you didn't have to make me sound so violent. They were going to capture me! A-anyways! After that some thugs in the back invited me to join them. On the way here they said some...interesting things." he cleared his throat and lifted his mask. Alice was a bit taken back by the face he was making. Every ounce of playfulness was gone and replaced with a look of intensity. Andrew was no longer smiling, his eyes were a darker tone and his usual smile was replaced with a scowl. _Why?_

Why did face seem so familiar to her.

"There are people with faces but only a handful of them. In this country, they're considered to be special. Special to be considered as...servants. They're nothing but decorations. A shiny toy, some sort of plaything to the upper ranks."

"Oh no." Alice broke from her trance as she felt her stomach lurch just from that sentence. She had studied about things like this in University but never did she think she'd be thrown into a world like that. That means this place isn't as technologically advance as hers. _'I'm not ready for this'_ she thought miserably "It makes sense how this guy was running away."

"I-is this okay? If those scary guys just want this weird man wouldn't it be better if we just. You know, didn't bring him along?"

Edith had a point there. If they continue bringing this guy along the road, he'll continue to attract more trouble. But there was also another issue at hand, and Alice didn't like it one bit.

"No. We need information right now, a simple thug isn't going to give us answers Edith. He has a face, there's no doubt he knows more about this country. If we get what we need we'll free him, okay? I know it's hard but I need you to stay strong for me."

"Mhm.." Edith nodded as stood straight in an attempt to pull off a brave face but what she said next took the group by storm. "Where are we supposed to go now?"

Silence.

Andrew coughed, he hadn't thought about that. Considering the state of chaos the town was in without a doubt they would have been dead the moment they tried to sleep here. It was a simple question and something like 'I'll handle it' wasn't going to cut loose. Alice smiled as pulled something out of her pocket "That's not a problem, for now" she presented the object to both of them who exchanged looks of confusion.

"If what that little boy said was true and with all I've seen. We're in a place where the impossible is possible."

Andrew nodded a reply, he seen a number of weird crazy happenings in this town. Faceless people, guns materializing out of thin air and castles surrounding the area. "Maybe there's magic here..." he murmured, Edith perked up in response "Magic?" she quipped obviously excited about the idea.

Edith was a bubbly little girl but she was strong enough to put up a brave face in the situation they're in and Alice liked that about her. Raising the key to eye level she remembered the little boy's words.

"It's a possibility. All I need is a door."

* * *

Sure enough the moment Alice turned the key and opened the door they had entered a small little cottage. A key that could link doors to them to other places. This world was full of surprises. The little boy instantly recognized Alice but quickly hid behind a chair seeing the people she brought in. Alice took a lot of time to convince them they were safe. Looking out the window it was apparent they were in the woods now, she could still see the town lights in the distance but she felt safer knowing they were far away from the chaos.

"Where's Lorina?" Edith and Andrew jumped from surprise at the sudden question but it took them minutes to finally piece the situation. "S-she's here?" Edith stammered as she looked at the little boy on the other side of the table nodding his head. The door behind slowly opened revealing herself to be the elderly lady Alice rescued earlier.

"Shhhh, you'll wake her up with all this noise"

How long has it been since they all had a good rest. There was only so much running and the fighting the human body could take. Alice was enjoying the lovely comfort the dilapidated couch was offering her. Magic was indeed a common occurrence in this world. Alice, Andrew, and Edith were left awestruck when the elderly lady healed her broken wrist with a faint glow of pink.

Perhaps she could learn magic as well for self-defense. Lorina almost had a heart attack seeing the unconscious man they had dragged back into the old lady's abode.

It was relief to know the Edith was with the old lady helping Lorina understand their situation right now. Apparently Lorina fell into the woods and managed to cross paths with the little boy. She had held his hand throughout the whole night till they found the old lady. As for why they were in town, they had to buy ingredients for dinner. Andrew was resting in the other side of the couch from dragging the strange man into the basement. It was a blessing for the old lady to accept them into her home. She called herself Ms. Milton.

"Hey Andrew...are you okay now? And why are you still wearing that mask?"

"Yeah, I just needed a breather after all that running and I don't want to scare the lady with my face. I've already scared a lot of people as it is." he shrugged as he stretched his arms. He couldn't imagine how awkward it be if he went onto the old lady's doorstep without the mask. All he knew was the fact that he looked like someone and that someone wasn't a good person based on all the comments he received."Is there something in your mind? You don't normally ask people if they're okay unless you're not."

"We need to interrogate him. What Edith told me about what he said is disturbing me."

Right. Andrew knew who she was talking about. The strange man in the alley. Alice wondered why he asked whether Edith was Alice. Why would he ask something like that? Could this Alice be...her? Her train of thought was interrupted when Andrew handed her a wolf mask. "A mask?" she questioned with a skeptical brow.

"I thought about what you said earlier about magic. The little kid told me these things are magic. If we're going to interrogate that guy we need these. The spells on them are neat."

Alice nodded, even Andrew was excited at the idea of magic but now is not the time. Right now, it was time for the both of them to go down the basement. She had watched a lot of cop movie flicks to know the basics. Take their weapons and play...

"Who's the Good Cop and Bad Cop?"

* * *

Alice adjusted the mask Andrew gave her earlier before motioning for Edith to close the door. It wouldn't do any good if the strange man saw Edith again. The old lady followed her she would help Alice and Andrew figure out whether the man would lie to them. A resident knew more about these lands than they did so none of the argued. She stepped down the creaky wooden stairs that were just screaming to break. Andrew had already gone before her to double-check the knots to make sure their visitor wouldn't be able to escape. Once she set foot on the basement she looked at the strange man still unconscious on the side. It looks like Andrew was able to retrieve a small pocket knife including a sweet smoking pipe as a bonus. A number of items from the man were spread in a small wooden table for display. Alice picked up one in curiosity.

"Count Marcus' property…? To think they were rare enough to be considered as slaves?" she murmured looking at the collar closely.

"It's been this way ever since that mad man in the castle took over our poor country" the old lady croaked as she wearily approached Alice with her cane in tow. "Things didn't used to be this way dearie…It may have been violent but it wasn't this bloody."

So this place was already violent before that 'Mad Man' came. Andrew adjusted the mask he was wearing before facing the old lady.

"Ms. Milton, do you...know who is?"

"Why yes, he's was quite the popular one back then. If I were you I'd be careful, this man has powers you cannot even begin to imagine but that was a long time ago." Alice dropped on one knee to reach eye level with the senior. If she had eyes, Man, she still wasn't getting the hang of this. "But not anymore right? Can you tell me more this man? And why does he have a face?" There was no doubt in her mind she had met this strange man before.

"Hmmm" The old lady placed her hand on her cheek. "It's an awfully long one."

Alice gently took one of her hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We can manage."

"Trust me! She's right Ms. Milton, we've been through worse" Andrew gave a small thumbs up in reply.

The old lady sighed. "Do you know what a Role Holder is?"

* * *

Everything hurts. The man groggily tried to make sense of what was happening. It felt like he was thrown off a cliff. Dammit, he wasn't used to all this exhaustion, his body was a frail one at that. The only thing he could manage to do was to breathe slowly. He felt the urge to cough right about now.

What pulled him into this mess?

His mouth was dry and his throat hurt. "Wh...Wha-"

"Hello." A voice. A woman's voice. No, it was also a man's voice. It didn't sound like one the burly men chasing him earlier.

"Don't be scared." it spoke again. They were both, It seemed like one of them had a tongue that spoke in unison by both a man and woman. He opened his eye and lifted his head only to see two silhouettes in the shadows. A towering figure and judging by the build of the other figure it was safe to assume it was a man. He squinted against the harsh light upon him trying to make out their faces alas they were wearing masks as his eye adjusted he could make out a few details.

Bright blue lights burned brightly within the empty eye sockets of the tall figure's wolf mask. It wore a detailed midnight blue robe edged in gold. He couldn't tell if it was a man or woman with what he could assume was armor underneath the robe. The fact that he could hear two voices whenever it spoke didn't help either. It was using magic to conceal their identity. The other one donned a simple long sleeved white shirt with a black vest and tie. He instead concealed his identity by wearing a mask that resembled a fox. ' _Did the Count hire them? Not likely. If it had been the Count he would have made a show out of it.'_ he thought.

"It's good to see you're awake…Nightmare. Would you like a drink?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading although I'm not sure if I can update this story daily. Maybe weekly since it's the beginning of enrollment. Stay awesome you lovely peeps! With much care and love, Tourmaline!

This was long...but I really enjoyed writing this


	3. Ch 2: Our Broken Wonderland

_**Wolf among the Sheep**_

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Heart no Kuni no Alice nor their characters

 _ **A/N:**_ _I want to thank Yui Yotsuba & SweetTeaRose for reviewing my work ahhhh I also want to Thank you CarolineWho, RubyAngelFire, SweetRoseTea & Yui Yotsuba for adding these into their favorites and following it ^7^ / _

_It took a long time to update since I was preparing some chapters in advance along with some character sheets._

 ** _If anyone is interested what_** ** _Alice looks I uploaded a picture for reference in imgur/_** ** _m2oEv2p_** ** _(not sure how to do links but you need to add a .jpg in the end)_**

* * *

 _Chapter 2: Our Broken Wonderland_

xXx

The basement was ghost-quiet except for the soft plinks of water dripping down the pipes above. The fox masked outsider was about to break the strange silence until Alice Liddell spoke. "He knows me."

Andrew sighed heavily as he swiveled his head towards the unconscious man tied securely on a rickety wooden chair. "But you don't."

"That's more of a reason to talk to him."

"Alice, ever since we took this guy in you've been acting weird lately." Andrew muttered absently, crossing his arms over his chest. "Is this… about what you told Lorina five years ago?"

"It's more than just that and I wasn't crazy back then. At least now you believe me."

True, Andrew couldn't deny the stories Lorina told him about Alice's visions of a different land. Now, that they were here.

"Come here for a second. Lorina told me that Ms. Mildred wanted to give this to her." He motioned to a dusty oak closet covered in cobwebs. "But she told me that you might make better use of it." Placing a hand on the dry brass handle Andrew opened the cracking closet doors. Inside was darkness. A deep black full plate armor stood inside giving the two outsiders a powerful sense of unease. What caught Alice's eye was the blade in the side gleaming under the basement lights.

She gingerly reached out to touch the armor with her fingertips flinching a little. It was cold and by the looks of it still in perfect shape. "Is it really okay for me to take all of this?"

The old lady simply chuckled as she tapped her cane on the cracks of the basement floor. "It used to be my grandfather's, hidden away in this closet for years. It's the least I can give you after your sister saved my grandson from the guards. He's my only family, if anything happens to him I don't think an old lady like myself has anything else to live. Take it as a gift dearie."

Alice placed a hand over the breastplate taking in the sights of the majestic armor in front of her. The old lady continued her spiel as she started to leave the basement by climbing the stairs. "It's been rotting in this basement for so long. I believe you'd do it justice by taking it out to see the light of the day." With that final statement she closed the creaking wooden doors behind her leaving the two Outsiders to their thoughts.

Andrew chimed in to break the silence by patting Alice's back.

"See it's perfectly okay, besides I'm too short for this one." Alice couldn't argue with him, the fact that the black armor itself was just her size was plain as day. For once she was relieved that he was taller than her. "This'll do if we find ourselves in trouble. It feels really reassuring to finally get my hands on a sword."

"No can do Alice, you're wearing this before that guy wakes up." Andrew clapped his hands in excitement as he nudged Alice's shoulder.

She arched a confused brow at him. "Why do I need to wear this before he wakes up?" she questioned as she stared into the empty black armor standing inside an intricate closet. Inspecting the armor closer, she could see cobwebs gathered on the sides indicating that it had been too long since the armor was last worn. She still needed to clean the it.

"Remember that movie Lorina and I kept watching over and over again last month?"

How could she forget that cheap detective movie flick, Edith kept spoiling it to everyone at home. "The one about a washed up detective with short term memory loss?" Ironic as it sounds it was a hit with the mass media. "Andrew, you know you can't become a detective with short term memory loss, that movie didn't make any sense. How is that going to help us in this situation?"

"Anyways, Alice the cynical aside. When it comes to interrogation there's always a need for a higher authority. That's the part you're going to play with this!"

She could have sworn he was simply joking until he stopped his comical antics with a serious tone to his voice. "Alice, trust me. I'm not saying this without a perfectly good reason. You said it yourself, he knows you but we don't him. We don't even know if he's an enemy or not. We just need to hide the fact you're Alice till we figure out what side he's on." he waited for a response but Alice simply looked at the armor.

She didn't press the issue further as she slipped on the gauntlets. They were a bit too big considering the armor was made for a man. She lifted her dress a bit up to her thigh to slip her feet into the icy cold greaves, by this time Andrew had already retreated to a corner careful not to peek. Biting her lip, she could feel the freezing cold pricking at the soles of her feet. Thank goodness her knee socks were giving her feet at least a sliver of warmth.

Attaching the respective poleyns to her knees she looked back at Andrew who had his back turned around her. "Andrew, there's a problem... the breast plate is too big and so is the rest of it-Andrew. I'm done changing, you can turn around now you know." she rolled her eyes, a bit grateful he still carried that gentlemanly aura to him.

"Darn, you could have looked pretty intimidating." he said with disappointment in his voice.

Alice snorted as she jokingly hit him with her elbow. "You want me to walk like a stiff piece of cardboard out there? I'd rather wear a potato sack! At least I can still defend us that way."

"Nnn.." a small groan came from the stranger.

The two stiffened when the intruder was stirring up from his sleep. Andrew scanned the basement quickly before pointing at a huge pile of junk in the distance. "Quick, get something to cover yourself from there."

"What about you?"

"Don't worry, unlike you , all I need to worry about is my face."

Then, Alice spotted a navy blue cloth in one of the piles. "This should do the trick." Alice pulled out the large piece of fabric with golden edges from a dusty pile of ornaments. Dusting the robe she flung it over her shoulders once it was bearable to wear. All she needed to do was strap the shoulder blades over her robe and pull the hood over her head. It was time.

Alice had a gut feeling that the mysterious stranger was a friend.

* * *

"It's good to see you're awake…Nightmare. Would you like a drink?"

What happened? He noticed he couldn't move as he was tied to a chair and so were his hands right in front of him. He had no more strength to his body than a slug in a marsh pit. Suddenly everything came back to him, the encounter at the alleyway. He had been abducted.

Nightmare struggled to keep his conscience awake but he had a lot of questions swirling in his mind. He could have easily asked who they were or where he was at the moment but he chose one that was more important to him.

"Where is she?"

Andrew and Alice looked at each other knowing who Nightmare was referring to. It was Alice herself, thank goodness the masks they were wearing had magic. Of course Andrew had to get the one that prevented recognition from others. It was interesting to note it had no effect on outsiders. Edith and Lorina could still recognize him but maybe there were other factors as to why it didn't work on them.

Alice's mask had the ability to speak with a male's voice, of course it didn't silence her original voice so it gave the weird impression of two creepy fraternal twins talking at the same time. She shivered at a particular movie she had watched about twins speaking in unison. She would have loved to have the fox mask but Andrew was being mistaken for someone else at the moment. Maybe she could ask for it once they identified the culprit. Either way she had to focus on the task at hand.

Hopefully she was setting an imposing figure of authority with her get up.

Judging by the man's clothes he looked to be of a higher social standing. "Fret not, the little girl is safe within our hands." Andrew drawled placing a hand on his chest with a bow. Alice narrowed her eyes at his actions. _'You drama queen.'_ She thought to herself as she rolled her eyes, he was fooling around again. With that pose it was clear Andrew was mimicking a noble...no, mocking one.

"If you do anything to her."

"Now, now let's not get hasty, but if you're so eager to know her safety. We'll have her talk with you once we're finished." Alice tried to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand. The tone in the roleholders voice all but told her he would follow his threat. She didn't want to push Nightmare's buttons and risk having him not cooperate, not until she got what she wanted.

"If you harm her, I will come for you." Nightmare narrowed his eye at the figure. He was already at his limit, the physical exertion from escaping the Count had nearly cost him his health. Blood was threatening to lurch out of his mouth but he kept it in to maintain his composure. If these people didn't know about his condition he could bluff his way out of trouble. He dangerously narrowed his eye on the figure who seemed to be calling the shots. Nightmare started to think about what dastardly thoughts the wolf masked figure could be concocting at a dire situation.

' _It's so damn hot.'_ Alice shut her eyes as beads of sweat were threatening to fall from her brow. She was already having a hard time keeping her composure, she must look pathetic right now. No, she had to do this, right now she needed to draw him to a corner.

"Shouldn't you worry about yourself? You should know your position well, you're at a disadvantage Mr. Gottschalk. We know all about you but you don't know anything about us."

No response, Nightmare only gazed at them with a stern expression as if he wanted to bore a hole right through their skulls. They were right on that one.

"Are you planning to read our minds? How much of an idiot do you think we are? Just like we said we know everything about you. Nightmare Gottschalk. Incubus. Dream demon. Lord of the Dream realm." Alice didn't like what she was doing but she needed answers more than anything. She needed to know who was she to this person. "Or should I call you former lord of the dream realm?" Alice frowned miserably as the words came out of her lips, how low has everyone fallen in this world.

"I know very well that you don't have any powers. As I've said, we are not your enemies if you want proof we took the liberty of removing this." Alice plucked the torn up collar from the dashboard and presented it to the incubus silently hoping it was enough evidence. "But if you were planning to escape from us we had your mana drained just in case." Good Thing the old lady knew a few spells.

"No response? You're surprisingly quiet when we last met you."

Nightmare closed his eye as he thought of the situation. First, they had him restrained, rather tightly too, telling him that these people didn't know of his medical condition. He could have just easily bluff his way through but they had Alice. He couldn't risk having anything happen to her, not when Wonderland was in a state of disarray.

"What are your demands? I doubt you would capture me because of my face." he sneered as he opened his palms in response. The only option left was to gather information from them. Mind games weren't his cup of tea but desperate times called for desperate measures. "Or are you looking for an opportunity for money? I doubt I'd be worth anything not when the Count is still out there."

"Is everyone in this place so suspicious of everything?" The fox mask groaned as he stretched his arms before crossing it over his chest in annoyance.

In a short moment Nightmare smirked, his eye had become a darker shade. Bingo. "I take it you're not from here, are you?" ' _Outsiders, just like Alice'_ it would explain why they had the ability to use magic. Most roleholders had already lost their powers and faceless could only use low tier spells. But for these people to be able to use masks that were tailored for roleholders without being one only meant one thing. They were immune to the rules, a unique gift that outsiders possessed.

Crap. Andrew just had to slip up.

Nightmare had believed they were roleholders earlier but there was no telltale signs that seemed recognizable to him. He knew most of their habits already and he could tell these two weren't from this world with the earlier statement. "I get it now…both of you are Outsiders and you want my assistance to get you out of here."

Andrew tried to retract his mistake. "We're n-"

"Andrew." Alice held up her hand to stop the man from speaking any further. "It's alright, we need to trust him." Before Andrew could even argue she placed a hand on his shoulder, a gesture Andrew was so familiar with. When she told him about a horde of rabbits in the backyard, or the time he had to jump on the deep sea pool and the time they had split apart. It meant only one thing.

' _Trust me.'_

When Andrew relaxed under her grip she blew a sigh of relief before turning to face the dream demon once more. "Yes, we are outsiders and…" What reason could she make up right now, she still wasn't sure whether this man was an ally or a foe. She still needed to lay low. "...we are that little girl's guardian. So you'll believe us, we'll untie you after you hear my demands. Then you can see her...after I talk with her."

Nightmare didn't speak but he could tell that this man wasn't lying. He couldn't explain why he felt like he could trust this outsider but he did. He waited for the wolf masked figure to explain his demands, and when he didn't he exhaled and said "I accept."

"Now then, let me tell you my demands." Alice pulled out a sheet of paper from the table in front of her and continued. "One, you must do as we say as long as the girl is in our hands."

Nightmare closed his eye as he thought of seeing Alice once more. "What's the last one?"

* * *

Alice could feel the heat from her cheeks bleed through her neck. That was embarrassing! She had to polish her Noble etiquette skills to pull that act. At least she didn't need to pull that balony ever again now that the interrogation was over. Stealing a sideways glance from the roleholder climbing the stairs behind her she decided that they could just simply beat the crap out of him if he showed any signs of hostility.

Nightmare rubbed his aching wrists trudging with the masked outsiders into the room where they had Alice. This was it, he still couldn't believe he was going to see her again. He fondly smiled remembering all the trouble he had to pull Alice out from. He had merely used her as an excuse to escape from work but as timed passed by he found himself being drawn into her.

Looking back he remembered where he had been earlier, behind cold bars in that murky place just spending the last seconds of his life in a dingy cell...missing the old days. The days he spent as a roleholder and the times he had with Alice. He missed the way she would scold him when he ran away from work, he missed her soothing voice and even the cynical remarks she threw at him.

"H-hello"

Right in the middle of the room Nightmare lost his breath for a moment when his eye met those shining round teal eyes. It tugged his heart ever so slightly, painfully even.

She stood there as dainty and humble when he first met her yet she was dressed in a soothing purple knee length dress, paired with that recognizable purple striped knee socks and black mary janes. An elegant ribbon was placed on her hair that was cropped into a neat bob framing her round face.

She looked almost the same when she last left him and everyone in Wonderland.

"Alice?" he stammered, struggling to find the right words to say. 'Alice' stiffened when she heard him utter her name. Before 'she' could do anything Nightmare ran towards her with open arms. Edith tensed when she was pulled into a tight embrace. She noticed the same misery in his eyes back when she had first encountered him in the alley. "Alice, you've been gone for so long."

Edith swallowed hard and hesitated to return the hug but decided not to. "I'm back." She remembered what her sister told her to do. She needed to tell him the truth, the truth that she wasn't Alice.

But how could she when someone was looking at her with so much expectation.

Edith broke the embrace and seated herself on the sofa, fidgeting with her fingers as she felt an extra weight added onto the furniture. Upon closer inspection, the man was definitely pale in contrast to her. He still looked pretty damn handsome too, No!, Edith pull yourself together!

Alice was leaning on the door frame watching the two intently with Andrew tending to Lorina in the next room. She crossed her arms across her chest and cocked her leg in one side, shifting her weight as she listened closely to their conversation.

"You've changed." Nightmare added as he reached out to take the glass of water on the small coffee table in front of them. "The bob cut suits you, although I would have preferred your longer hair!" he blurted with a small smile, Edith dropped her sights on the ground allowing her hair to conceal her eyes.

"Haha, you won't scold me for not working anymore right? Remember when you kept catching me...Actually thinking back it was quite scary."

' _Stop it. This is wrong.'_

"I don't have a territory anymore Alice but I would have loved to offer you a place to stay."

' _I'm not her, why are you talking to me like that.'_

"Hey...Alice." Edith stiffened once again, that tone wasn't like the others earlier. It was the same voice the same hue of sadness in the alley when they first met. "...say something, please."

The situation was tearing her apart, Edith didn't like letting people down. Her classmates, her teachers, her parents, her sisters and even strangers. She always lived pleasing everyone around her, she was often praised to get along with everyone. It made her different from her sisters who had other talents but getting along with everyone was her specialty.

Not anymore, she had to lay down the cold harsh truth. Opening her mouth to speak she simply said "I…I'm not Alice!"

It rang through the whole room until a ghostly silence flooded the whole room. She wished the ground would just swallow her whole for the words she was about to say next. "...Alice is my older sister."

She watched the life drain from the roleholder and she waited. She waited for a response, anything. Lashing out, screaming or even crying but nothing came out from the man. He simply sat there in a silent stupor. She didn't know what to say, was everything going to be alright? No she couldn't even do that.

Nightmare only sat there as if his ghost had left his empty body. It only served to make the thick silence between them heavier.

"I knew it, the moment you didn't say my name...I knew" he trembled. He quickly changed his posture closing his eye with a smile in an attempt to mask his shock earlier. His expression softened before looking directly at Edith's eyes. "But I hoped you were."

"I'm sorry." she mumbled. It was the only thing she could find herself saying.

"Don't be, I suspected you to be her little sister. Alice once told me you may as well look the same once you reached her age. I never thought the resemblance would be uncanny. May I know your name?" Nightmare gave another gentle smile at her direction that was enough to break the tension in the room.

"Edith. Edith Liddell"

"It's nice to meet you Edith, I am Nightmare, former Lord of the Dream Realm-" Edith was still smiling when she paled at the sight of blood dripping from the roleholder's lips. She noticed that Andrew and Alice weren't able to see it from where they were standing so she took it upon herself to address the problem.

"A-are you okay?" Edith stammered as tried to stand up but Nightmare held out a hand in front her telling her not to approach.

Then, the roleholder gave a thumbs up signal at her and still! There were a few drops of blood dripping from his mouth which he hastily wiped it with the cuff of his sleeve. "I'm fine, it happens all the time." he reassured Edith as he tried to change the topic. He could feel his throat burning, it was only a matter of time till he started one of his coughing fits. Cursing a bit to himself when he noticed the worry in Edith's eyes was still present.

"It was a good thing I was able to assist your sister to leave Wonderland before _he_ came to this world."

The last part of his statement was enough to pick Edith's interest. Yet she could sense a cold aura from Nightmare when he said that. She fumbled with the hem of her skirt unsure whether to pry the subject further "He?"

Nightmare only shook his head and looked directly at her round teal eyes. "You shouldn't be here, you and your sister. Including the other two Outsiders."

How did he know they had another sister? Did he really know this much about Alice? How close were they? Edith placed a finger to her lips as she thought deeper about what Nightmare was implying but she only got more questions instead. Andrew on the other hand wasn't letting that topic change slide he had to know more. "What happened to Wonderland?"

Silence. Complete dead silence.

Nightmare simply sipped from his cup. _'H-he's ignoring me'_ Andrew trembled in annoyance as he bit his lip in defeat. There was some pretty obvious bias in this room.

Luckily, Edith decided to take on Andrew's question. "What happened here, Nightmare?"

"Chaos. Everything has been thrown into chaos."

Andrew couldn't help but squint his eyes in annoyance at Nightmare. _'I just asked you that.'_ he thought bitterly. Alice simply elbowed him in an attempt to tell him to behave or she'd knock his socks off him.

Edith waited for the roleholder to continue but it didn't look like he wanted to. She puffed her cheeks in irritation. This only made Nightmare chuckle as he placed the glass cup on the coffee table with a faint clink. "You're very different from her but you're both the same in funny ways."

That's right! Her sister came to this world before. Then the stories she told her five years ago were...real! Clearing her throat she placed her hands on her lap to ask another question which she hoped he's answer in detail. "You said my sister came here before. What was she…to uhm you." Nightmare thought to himself for a short while before replying in a short statement. "I was interested in her."

"Interested in her?" she pressed on further.

"She didn't have any special abilities and she wasn't unusual. But a lot of self-centered pricks in this world are head over heels over her. That's all." Nightmare quipped with a mischievous smile. "Isn't that interesting?"

Nightmare's statement dropped like a nuclear bomb in the room filling it with silence.

Edith eyes widened comically with her mouth agape as her imagination ran wild taking her into places Alice wouldn't dare ask. Her expression said it all! Andrew gawped at Alice, who despite knowing both were wearing masks, knowing both of them knew what expressions they were wearing. Alice prayed Andrew and Edith's wide eyes wouldn't roll out of their sockets and splat like a tomato on the floor. She could literally feel the heat under her mask as she turned into ten different shades of red.

"Sis, you cassanova." Edith snickered as she looked at no one in particular. Alice was losing the will to live right now. She shot back a look that said 'I didn't do anything!' at Andrew despite knowing he had a mask on as well. His mouth was definitely agape. She could feel the stare coming from Lorina behind her who was also in a daze.

"By the way Edith, I've been meaning to ask what are these _two_ to you. The one in the fox mask is Andrew correct? But the other one…"

"You mean Al-O-oh! U-uhm Lord Alastair! The Great!"

' _Edith. No_.' Alice could only stare in horror at the little girl known for her imagination start babbling out the craziest ideas. Not even the best teachers could tame her free spirited imagination.

"Lord Alastair has been our family guardian for years now."

' _Please stop. This is the worst time for you to get creative.'_ Alice's breath stopped for a moment as she realized. The title wasn't the important thing, she also wasn't bothered by the fact Edith made up the story about her being a guardian. Then what was bothering her?

"He's an amazing swordsman a great cook, and mentor!"

Ah, that's it. Edith was implying _she was a man_!

Nightmare nodded his head as he ingested the information in his mind before asking another question. "It's good to know that you and your sister are not in any danger but it's strange to see that Alice isn't with you."

Uh Oh. Alice told her to hide the fact she was here, Ah! If she made another story up Alice would definitely scold her. Edith rumbled her brain for a more believable excuse. "She didn't fall with us, just me, Andrew, Big sis and Alastair." she stated as a matter of factly. What if Nightmare starts worrying about her. She needed to make sure he wouldn't press the matter further. "A-ah! Don't worry! Sis is safe back home. She's okay."

She relaxed seeing that the incubus didn't press the conversation any further. Just as everyone was settling in the comfortable silence Nightmare spoke again.

"I must apologize, in my current state I don't have the power to bring you back to your world. It's as Alastair says, I'm powerless as of the moment. My abilities were taken. Even if I were to be replaced I still won't get them back." Alice noticed a tone of concern in the man's voice that troubled her a bit. Was the situation that dire?

She needed to speak out to confirm her suspicions "What's going on?"

"Things have changed." he simply stated uncertain how he should tell everyone the situation but he chose not to. For now. Looking at Edith with concern he continued "Now that you're here I can't leave you. I can't watch you struggle in this hell, Alice would never forgive me. Edith Liddell, if you're willing I will do everything in my power to assist you." He crossed his legs and folded his hands on his lap.

"With the way Wonderland is, I can't allow you to stay. Just as I have guided Alice I too will guide you, Edith Liddell." he said softly.

Alice felt a shiver in her spine whenever this man said her name. It was all too obvious he was on her side. If she could just get him alone then she'd be able to ask him all the questions she needed. Yet this person cared for her so much, wouldn't it only hurt him to know that she had forgotten all about him.

She didn't know whether she should just reveal herself or risk hurting him.

Before she could decide Nightmare not started coughing blood, barking like a dog in pain. Edith's eyes widened, and Lorina jolted immediately to their side. Alice quickly ransacked her mind with a Flurry of questions. 'Did the men earlier injure him?' 'Why didn't they check him for injuries!?' No wait…why was she acting normal when this man was coughing blood! Her gut told her it was nothing to be afraid of. She was eerily calm.

Somehow her gut told her this was normal, for once she agreed when she heard the roleholder cry out that the light was coming to take him.

* * *

Alice could feel a vein busting right about now as a certain incubus kept insulting her for causing him to cough up blood in the first place. He demanded that 'he', Alastair, should let Edith nurse him back to health which naturally Alice declined. But that wouldn't stop the sickly incubus from trying now would he?

"When are you going to stop being such an ass?" Alice spat with venom in her voice. A little taken back at the voice that came out of her mask. She still needed to get used to the voice change.

"To think Alice's siblings would spend their time with a rude man like you. What happened to all that grace and poise earlier?"

' _Man!? I'm a woman!'_ Alice gritted her teeth, relieved that the mask was concealing her face from this dream demon. He didn't discover her identity yet. Good. She thought about revealing herself earlier but now he was just ruining his chances.

"What happened to the mature young man earlier that didn't cough blood for every 10 minutes?" Alice chimed, her voice was dripping with poison, she unconsciously cracked her knuckles taking in satisfaction with the metallic clang that resonated from the gauntlets. "To me it seems like coughing blood is normal for you."

"You think I'm scared, Ha! I'm replaceable you know, every role holder is so there's no point in being scared to death." Nightmare only gave a smug smile at her, he was really asking for it. Surely he didn't think she would hurt him right? Wrong! Alice turned her whole body around with much force causing her robes to howl in the harsh wind as she was now facing the incubus. The armored greaves gave her the few inches she needed to top Nightmare's height. Glaring at him from the mask eye socket she forced a frightened squeak out of Nightmare. "Who said anything about death, I recall you _loved_ drinking medicine don't you?"

"A-ah! Wait! Alastair No! Get away! I surrender! I surrender!" Nightmare cried as Alice walked ever so closely with intent on each step. She lurched towards him in attempt to grab him but instead she grabbed his shoulder.

It suddenly struck her like lightning, filling a hole in her memory like a key clicking into a lock in place. An overwhelming amount of information savagely attacked her mind until...it stopped. She felt like throwing up as she was suddenly snapped back into the real world with a sickly incubus trying to shield himself from her.

Her stomach twisted and churned, as her legs felt like soggy noodles. She felt cold yet she was sweating profusely from earlier. Her mind felt like it was about to explode but she was able to utter a question.

"Nightmare...how long has Alice been away?"

Nightmare shot a confused look at the Outsider, his tone had become despondent. "Time isn't something that's measured here but if you want a rough estimate that's close to your world. That would be...six months."

"Oh." she muttered blankly, Alice didn't even bother asking him how he got the number but right now she needed some space. Walking out of the room she made her way towards the main door leading outside, she was halted when a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder. It was Andrew.

"Hey, we can work this o-"

"Andrew. I need some time alone".

He didn't bother stopping her and lowered his arms to the side. He didn't think he'd remember the time he once broke her heart but hearing that same distant voice from her lips made him remember again. This time he couldn't help, all he could do was call for Lorina and hoped she would bring her back to her senses.

* * *

Alice walked out of the small cottage and went outside. She needed some fresh air, pulling down her hood and removing the mask from her face she welcomed the soothing gust of the wind. The pleasant breeze of cool air played with her midnight blue robes as she hovered over the cobbled steps outside. The soft moonlight illuminated the dark forest surrounding her as well as her. The silver lights danced through the edges of her robes as she looked out into the horizon too see the lights from the town and castles in the distance. They paled in comparison with the glitter of fireflies and stars glimmering in the somber night.

Even with a spectacle like this presented to her, it wasn't enough to calm the storm within her mind.

Six months.

The time she left Wonderland was equivalent to a measly six months back home. Back home, five years had passed, it was clear that time was moving slow in this world. She couldn't wrap her head around it all. The thought that crawled in the back of her mind all but said it. The fact that this chaotic place riddled with bullets zipping in the air all too well was once her home.

This place felt like a fairy tale, something that shouldn't exist but she felt strangely comfortable in these lands.

She couldn't deny that feeling within her that Nightmare was a comforting figure. If she was the Alice that fell into this world six months ago then...

"Alice."

Alice simply stared at the horizon before noticing Lorina had been standing behind her for who knows how long. "I thought I told you I needed some time alone." Lorina sensed a tinge of sadness in her little sister's voice. She watched Alice continue to stare into the horizon but it felt like she was watching a ghostly figure more than anything.

Lorina placed her hands in front of her, she wanted to reach out and touch Alice's shoulder but she dared not to. "Don't say that." she murmured quietly as she simply trotted beside Alice. "I know that when you need time alone it's always when you're down. Here." Lorina pulled out a small folded tissue towards her sister.

"Thanks." Alice mumbled, her voice small and laced with sorrow, as she sloppily took the tissues with one hand jamming it on the tears welling up her eyes.

"Are you alright? Did something happen?" Lorina spoke softly, Alice wasn't being her usual high-spirited self and it was hurting her to see her little sister look so crushed, devastated even.

There was no point hiding it if was Lorina, Alice turned to face her sister with a miserable expression in her eyes despite smiling. "I just remembered something." she responded in a whisper knowing the Lorina would catch it. Alice was finding it harder to speak. When she had passed by Nightmare she felt like she had walked over a resentful ex-lover. It was just like how she and Andrew were five years ago, familiar strangers who had just freshly broke up.

"...The roleholder?"

"He is." she croaked, and now she was remembering the countless hours she spent with Nightmare in the dream realm. Chatting about mundane things, comforting her with stories, and aiding her around her problems and difficulties in Wonderland. The memory that flashed when she grabbed Nightmare was turning into a more vivid picture.

" _Nightmare! Stop reading my mind!"_

" _I can't help it! The thoughts in your heart are so loud. I can't block it even if I wanted. You've been thinking about him over and over again it's making me nauseous."_

" _Then why are you smiling!"_

" _Oh Alice~! You're growing into a woman. Relax, relax it's perfectly healthy for any woman your age to have thoughts like that."_

" _Oh my God...What are you talking abou-!"_

" _Do you want me to say it out loud."_

" _Hell no! Wait...I get it! You're skipping work again."_

" _W-well, It's technically my brea-"_

" _Gray!"_

" _How could you betray me Alice!"_

Alice found herself smiling despite trembling from the memory itself. Childish, lazy and mischievous...Nightmare hadn't changed a bit. He still had the same childish habits to him, even his pale white skin and boyish good looks. She recalled the smell of smoke that always seemed to cling on his clothes sometimes the scent of vanilla. His voice a tremor to it that could drag you to another world and...man, could that roleholder whine. Whine like the wind.

"He was a friend...no, used to be my friend." she said miserably, She heard the same miserable tone in Nightmare's voice earlier when Edith revealed she wasn't 'her'.

The heavy silence enveloping them only grew denser until Lorina could only hear the cracking of the tree branches within the dark forest and her own faint breaths. This place and that roleholder had awakened painful memories for Alice and Lorina wanted to know what it was but she knew there was nothing she could do to take away the pain now.

"It hurts to know I forgot him." Alice choked as she struggled to remember more about Nightmare. Somehow there were bits and pieces that were missing, it upset her to know she had forgotten someone who was always there for her in this chaotic place. "He even said the roleholders knew me…"

If she had memories like these with all them then...Alice didn't dare continue her thought. To discover that the role holders in this place has been reduced to mere toys turned her wonderful dream of meeting them again into a terrible nightmare. Something in her gut was lashing out wildly knocking every sense within her mind. It left like a bitter after taste in her mouth as she started to lose her sanity. She looked at the castles in the distance hating the situation she was in hating what was happening to her as well. This must be what was like to be in rage.

She was so angry.

Then, a hand delicately placed itself on her shoulder pulling her out of her whirling thoughts. Lorina simply stood there with an emphatic smile knowing her sister was hurting, but there was no way she'd let her go through this alone.

"You don't have to force yourself to talk about it if you don't want to." "I need you to know I'm here for you, Edith and Andrew as well...and we love you. It's clear to me this means more to you."

Alice swore that someday she'd tell her everything but right now she just wanted to go through with her feelings. "They were my friends If…if I had memories like that with them. I can't just leave them like this!"

"That's the kind of person you've always been." Lorina soothed as she simply stood beside her sister knowing her presence itself was enough for her.

Alice could feel her knees threatening to give way but she refused. She lowered her head and instead allowed the tears to fall as they softly dropped on the earth below her.

Alice cried in the freezing night. She cried for the friends who she'd forgotten, for the people who once welcomed her, for the people who once loved her but she no longer remembered. She cried for the home that she had lost, try as she could she couldn't remember any of the other roleholders.

Their faces were nothing but a blank slate.

* * *

Andrew paced anxiously around the room thinking about what he could have done to ease the Liddell family burden. He hadn't noticed that he was walking in circles around Edith for the twentieth time. "Andy, calm down you're going to make me barf!" she whined as she nibbled on the donut she was eating. Snickering a little since Andrew didn't like being called that. As he opened his mouth to retort, just then Alice walked back inside the house with a new found confidence within her.

The two noticed she still wore the mask and covered her hair with the hood upon her head. By the looks of it she was making her way towards Nightmare. Edith immediately recognized that all too familiar stride, it was the _'I am going to give you a piece of my mind'_ walk. Alice shot a cold stare at sickly incubus who returned the action in silent defiance.

"You were wrong, Nightmare."

"About what?"

"About how the role holders in this world are replaceable."

"How am I wrong in that when it's common fact."

"You wouldn't understand what I mean." she grumbled. Alice was about to make her way to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat until Andrew shoved a bunch of papers at her. She flipped through the delicate parchments with confusion waiting for an explanation.

"It's a list of all the roleholders in this place. I figured you'd want them since Nightmare said 'Alice' knew them." he flashed a wink at her knowing full well she couldn't see it. "It's the least I could do."

She looked at "Andrew I'm about to do something stupid." she blurted out as she looked up from the papers.

Andrew merely placed his hands at the back of his head and walked towards the kitchen. "I promised Lorina I'd watch over the two of you, so you're not going to do something stupid without me."

Alice exhaled sharply, how typical of him. She really was lucky to have supportive sisters and supportive future brother-in-law to boot! That is if he won Lorina's heart over. Flitting her eyes over to the kitchen across the room she spotted Andrew handing Lorina a donut only to be flicked in the forehead with a giggle. Good Luck on that Andrew.

Now then, back to the problem at hand. Nightmare.

Alice studied his figure more closely, there had to a condition to be fulfilled earlier for her to squeeze more memories out of this man. It was silent but she caught a faint whistle to her right. Looking at that direction she saw Edith with a twisted smile that anyone would wear once their friend's crush walked in. With a flick of her wrist, her little sister made claw like gesture and mouthed a small "Rawr."

"A lot of self-centered pricks in this world are head over heels over Alicuu~"she purred with a hidden fury burning within her teal eyes. Alice clicked her tongue in response, tsk, she would scold her later.

She dismissed her younger sister entirely as she approached Nightmare who only raised a questioning brow at her. Then, she touched his hair, no effect. She touched his hand, still no effect. She rubbed his arms, nothing. She finally placed a hand on different parts his chest waiting for it, same result. She was sure that touching him returned some of the memories, perhaps it only happens once you touch them?

Her musings were only cut short when she noticed Nightmare was gawking at her, wide-eyed and all, with a tinge of rose pink in his cheeks. "I..I…I've been molested!" he cried out in alarm. For once Alice, could feel her very being shrink, Oh my God did she really just touch a man in questionable places!? She quickly scurried away into the area careful to avoid Edith's prying eyes.

She could still hear him whining in the room as her cheeks flared into a horrific blush that she was sure to have bled down her neck.

Bringing herself back to reality she sat down on a wooden chair and placed the papers on the creaky dining table. Fumbling with the ivory white papers in hand, she took the time to read over the strange foreign names. The handwriting itself was enough to put hers to utter shame. Nightmare had took the time to write them down, the current roleholders of this world. It made her wonder which of them she was fondly close to. She trailed her finger over the smooth paper skimming through names that wouldn't ring a bell.

 _Rip_. Oh god, the sharp edge of the gauntlet fingers made a small cut on the list.

Alice retracted her finger and simply continued to read the list as if nothing just happened. She stole a sneaky glance of Nightmare in the sides recalling the moment she was able to remember a piece of her memory. Alice thought a bit more as she opened her hand, recalling when she had touched Nightmare. Sorting out the clues scattered about, her mind clicked like a lock combination in place.

Could that be it?

Alice felt a victorious smile creep to her face. If her theory was correct then she needed to test it out to another roleholder. Casting her eyes down the list once more, she dove deep into the abundant information contained within the thin sheets of paper. It was time to choose a roleholder. Tapping her finger on a certain name, she called out to Nightmare in the distance.

"If we're going to get allies what about this guy? He used to be the top knight in the Hearts Palace."

"Skill? Yes, but don't expect the man to follow you willingly like I do. He and Alice may have gotten along but he's a lone wolf through and through. The real him that is."

Alice narrowed her eyes bitterly at the roleholder's sudden change. "Wow, you're awfully cooperative after taking to Edith." she chortled.

"It's not that I took a sudden interest to her after she handed me my things back earlier. If that's what you're implying. Rather, I believe this is what Alice wanted me to do."

"You're giving this Alice too much credit, you're pretty powerful yourself remember." She huffed back at Nightmare. It didn't feel comfortable knowing he looked up to her this much.

"Powerful? Yes, I was but you misunderstood me." he mused. Nightmare stretched his arms as he settled for a more comfortable position in the couch. He plucked the pipe he had earlier from the coffee table, a little glad his treasured item was returned in one piece. "Even if I was to gain back my whole powers, it still won't be able to sway her heart."

"You're talking as if you love her." she grumbled as she scanned the next pages of the list. Alice wasn't sure if he was being serious of it was an attempt for a future pick-up line but she breathed out a tired sigh.

"All of us in Wonderland do."

Silence.

"A-all of you." Whoah whoah whoah there, back it up a bit. Alice mentally slapped herself when she felt her heart flutter at the sound of that. She shouldn't be happy about something like that! Gah! She felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment at the implication the incubus was presenting.

Nightmare smirked as he started preparing the smoking pipe. "Yes, everyone, including myself and the role holders who have met her before."

She mentally groaned at the back of her head. Just what was did she do back then to make everyone 'love' her.

"Love her? In a friendly way right?"

"You could put it that way, but the same cannot be said for some particular role holders." He huffed on this pipe thinking back onto a peculiar clean freak of a rabbit. "The man who originally brought Alice here in the past was madly in love with her. In fact he kissed her the moment they landed into Wonderland."

K-kissed! Did she lock those memories away. No, either way she can't trust the words coming from his mouth right now. Focus, what's important right now is to get her mind straight, the barrage of words coming from the incubus was only going to drive her in panic.

She heard his light footsteps resonate on the wooden floors getting louder. Until he was already standing in front of her, she knew he was going to ask her a question but she beat him to it by asking one herself.

"Nightmare, who's the nearest roleholder in the vicinity."

He lightly tapped the end of his pipe on one particular drawing. "That would be him."

Alice read through the notes and placed a finger on her chin. Nightmare couldn't tell what expression this outsider was wearing with the mask but his suspicions were confirmed when 'he' spoke.

"We'll need him."

"Are you sure? Why not take a roleholder suitable for combat?"

"Andrew and I can handle that, what I'm interested in is his ability to travel through anywhere with doors. That is, if his ability wasn't taken away." This role holder was like a traveling teleporter! No doubt he would be useful for her cause.

"Fortunately, he still has his intact but I'm warning you, _Lord Alastair_." he clicked his tongue as if to mock 'him'. "This roleholder is a roaming cloud who passes by. Once his interest in your cause wanes he'll eventually leave."

That's when Alice attempted to hide a snicker, this roleholder hasn't seen anything yet. "I appreciate your concern but don't worry, I know very well how to handle cats." she chortled with confidence. Nightmare's drawings were abysmal but she could see two cat ears from the squiggles. Alice laughed, he was obviously trying to draw a kitty cat! There was no other answer was there?

"Uh...I'm not so sure about that." he trailed, obviously this outsider was getting the wrong idea. Nightmare had intended to draw a spunky teenager but ended up drawing a cat instead. What else could he draw to describe a roleholder like him? Other than that he took pride in the other drawings he made like the March Hare as a carrot.

Alice was too preoccupied with her thoughts to even hear what Nightmare had to say. To think there was a kitty roleholder, her heart jumped with glee. She couldn't wait to meet an adorable little cat she could carry in her arms that spoke like a human. Talking animals were present in this world right?

"Oh and Nightmare, Your demand, I'll think about it." Alice mumbled from the dining table. "But don't forget… _my second demand_."

Nightmare smiled as he was about to warn 'Alastair' but what came out of his mouth was blood instead. Damn it, he was holding out for so long and now he couldn't control it anymore. His legs felt like noodles as the bitter iron aftertaste of blood relentlessly attacked his senses. Alice stood in alarm seeing the pale incubus cough uncontrollably in a fit.

"Ms. Mildred, Do you have any medic-"

"NO! You'll never take me aliv-" Nightmare coughed blood, this time even more wildly that before.

Edith sputtered as she dropped the cup she was holding from the other room when she heard the hacking getting louder. "Mr. Nightmare! Are you okay!?" she cried out in alarm as she pulled out a dangerously familiar medicinal bottle that glimmered cruelly under the harsh kitchen lights.

"No! It's bitter! I hate bitter medicine!" he wailed in defense as he started to bail the scene.

"O-oh! How about powder med—No wait come back!"

"I don't like it when it gets stuck on your mouth"

Alice and Andrew looked at mild disappointment at the dream demon who ran off with his tail between his legs. The incubus was selfish, childish and lazy to boot! How were they supposed to survive in this mad country with an information broker like that?

They could only hope the next role holder they take in wouldn't be as weird as this sickly incubus!

"Hey, Al-, I mean Alistair I think we made the wrong decision."

"No, I'm sure he was a role holder to be terrified of. This must be what he's like..." Alice flitted her eyes towards Edith's direction "...in a comfortable presence."

' _If my theory is correct, then...I'll tell him the truth.'_ Alice looked up from the window as the shadows danced on her mask. She won't be getting any sleep tonight, she needed to plan out her strategy to rescue the next roleholder.

' _I'll tell Nightmare I'm here.'_

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Okay I realize this is superlong but it was really fun to write it down! I was trying to decide whether to split it to two sections but I figured this way you'll have more stuff to read! Thank you again for reading this!**


	4. Ch 3: The Chesire Cat

_**Wolf among the Sheep**_

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Heart no Kuni no Alice nor their characters

 _ **A/N: Phew, When I realized I was talking about some dark stuff I told myself I really shouldn't continue but then again I wanted to. My heart pretty much ruled my mind so i'm submitting it**_

* * *

 _Chapter 3: The Chesire Cat_

xXx

The moon shone brightly as Alice Liddell started double-checking their equipment. She patted her sides and found comfort when she felt the hilt of her sword. Peering to the side, she spotted Andrew strapping a sword to his belt. Adjusting the mask, she made sure to tie her hair into a bun to minimize the chances of her identity being found out. She wrapped her breasts with bandages under her coat and robe. She couldn't freely walk around with her guard down now that Nightmare has joined her team.

"So this is his castle."

The wind was howling to the north as dark dreary clouds signaled a thunderstorm. It only served to strengthen the unease in everyone's stomach. Alice was hesitating over her decision because she knew she was about to do something she never thought she'd be able to do. Nightmare smoked through his pipe in silence as they looked down the cliff.

Below was Count Marcus's castle.

"Al—" Andrew caught himself, reminded of the fact that Nightmare was with them. "Alastair, Correct me if I'm wrong, but are we really risking our lives sneaking inside a Mafia's mansion…for a cat."

"A pink one, Andrew." Alice stated a matter of factly.

' _That's what's important?'_

Andrew's brows furrowed in disbelief. Alice was failing to sound convincing to his ears "Al, seriously don't." He tried to sound cynical but he couldn't quite hide the amusement in his voice. He could tell she was messing with him but too bad she wasn't getting him this time. Nightmare scoffed at an attempt for a laugh in the background. Andrew lowered his voice in the presence of the roleholder.

"You should have told Edith and Lorina before we left."

Alice stayed silent for moment before crossing her arms, her plates rattling and robe fluttering in the wind in response. "They don't need to get involved with my problems."

"That's not how family works. They just don't want to lose you."

"They won't."

She drew shaky long breaths to calm herself and decided to avert her eyes on the magnificent view below her instead. She drank the sights below her and welcomed the chilly breeze. She broke the silence while picking up a small object from the sack beside Andrew's feet. "Now, Andrew. You majored in chemistry right?" Pushing the negative feelings within her deep she chirped in excitement and threw the round item in the air, catching it with ease.

"I'm hoping your bombs won't disappoint me."

With a snort, Andrew pulled a makeshift bow and arrow from the previous sack. "You're looking at the top student, ." Tying a rope to the arrows end he raised his bow and aimed is as precisely as he could towards the castle balcony. With a swift thwack he released the arrow, watching it whiz through the air and land squarely between the rails.

He let out a victorious pump in the air before giving the rope it a strong tug. He flashed a thumbs up at Alice's direction when it was firmly secured in place. She looked at Nightmare as she was about to address his role in the operation.

"Nightmare, you told me you could telepathically send us messages. Yet yoou said it yourself, your powers were gone."

"Not quite, I can send you my thoughts but I'm unable to read yours. Think of it as a one way street, Alastair." came his calm answer.

"That's all we need, alert us if you see anything strange." Alice placed a piece of cloth over the rope but before she could zipline through the castle she shot him a worried shoulder glance. "And Nightmare, stay out of trouble. Try to hide as much as possible., alright?"

The roleholder in question blinked slowly as if he didn't expect the remark. Once it sunk in a thoughtful expression etched into his face then he chuckled silently with an eye crease. "Very well, but Alastair, try not to get in trouble too."

It was time to go.

Andrew patted her on the back to let her know he was going on ahead. She felt her heart race but sighed in relief when he managed to zip down safely. Squinting her eyes in the distance, she saw him tie the rope even more securely on the balcony then signal her to come down. She nodded in response before letting gravity do the work for her. She zip lined downwards from the cliff.

The wind lashed her body and she took this time to let her eyes wander at the amazing landscape below her. The lights of the town were all but sprawled before her. From her height, it looked like a collection of jewels.

As the zipline carried her over to the cliff towards the castle balcony, she let go of the cloth and gracefully landed on the balcony rails. She turned to face Andrew who nodded at her and slowly opened the doors inside.

In the distance, Nightmare watched the two figures disappear from the door. He placed his hand on his cheek absentmindedly. His lips curled into a sad smile. He lied. He lied about his powers, in truth he had been able to read their minds from the very beginning. He knew all too well what their current situation was. He wasn't going to let them walk in their graves because he knew everything.

"Welcome back, Alice." He murmured softly his voice dripping with genuine bliss.

* * *

The door creaked open to reveal a dark room filled with sheeted furniture. It was dusty, abandoned books were piled on the sides and the floor carpet was ragged and torn indicating that this room had been locked out of the castle for a long period of time. Slipping a hand underneath her robes she fumbled for an instant before pulling out a folded piece of paper.

"Our destination is the prison cells underneath this castle." She said in a hush, studying the hand drawn map Nightmare made for them. Once she was sure of their destination she placed it back inside her pocket. Andrew fumbled with the doorknob that they assumed led to the halls.

He opened the door. The halls were empty.

They took the opportunity to take a good look at their surroundings and found that the large hallways were dark, endless and eerily silent. The towering windows served to illuminate the lampless hallways with the serene moonlight. Where the hell were the guards? She found herself becoming more and more anxious as they traversed through the castle that she was beginning to think was haunted.

Their every step on the floor bounced around the walls.

They maneuvered through the labyrinths keeping track of the landmarks Nightmare made sure to write down and sure enough the halls were slowly becoming brighter. They made sure not to keep their guard down and finally they found it.

A large crypt door was held shut by a large padlock. Afraid to speak in fear of getting caught, they examined the lock closely. Now how were they supposed to get in? Alice was about to use her blade to pick the large lock until she heard voices in the distance, heels clipping on the floor and giggles.

It was a maid, they had to hide but, there was no place to go to.

It wasn't until Andrew pushed her behind one of the armored knight statues, she was about to protest until he placed a finger to where his lips would be, had he not been wearing his mask, and shushed her.

"I got this."

"What are you going to do." She hissed as the footsteps of the maid were becoming louder in an alarming rate.

He didn't respond but he lifted his mask and threw it on her hands. He winked but Alice could only look at him like had lost his mind. He was blowing his cover! Dammit.

"Who's there?" the cold voice of the servant reverberated through the corridor.

Andrew gingerly stepped towards the maid out of the shadows. The moonlight poured over him and Alice merely watched the tiny particles sway in the light, preparing herself to knock the faceless out cold if she did anything funny.

"Just me." He replied in a flat tone hoping that the trick he used yesterday would work. The maid stood and stared at him for what felt like an eternity, before shock sank into her features. So it did work! but before Andrew could even attempt to speak to the maid. Her shoulders hunched in surprise as she took a step back. Her hands trembled as she briefly looked around in attempt to find someone. She drew a shaky breath as fear started to overlap her surprise.

She drew a gun and pointed it at him but before Alice could spring into action the maid shouted in distress.

"I don't know how you got out but under Count Marcus' orders you are to return back to your cell, Mr. Dupre!"

Andrew could only blink as amusement took over his expression then confusion and finally dread. The maid pulled a small object from her pocket. "Now please follow me or I might shoot you, Mr. Dupre." The small item on the maid's belt sparkled in the glow. A key! Could it be?

The maid took precautionary steps backwards which were leading to…the crypt doors! It was the key they were looking for. Alice clicked her tongue in annoyance, scolding herself that she should have asked the Nightmare about magic. She could easily knock the maid with a sleeping spell. 'Looks like I'll have to do it my way' She pulled out a small thin dart from her robe and flicked it over to the maid once her back was turned against her.

With a soft prick on the back of her neck she stiffened for a few seconds, before plunging into unconsciousness. The heavy thud confirmed her action was successful.

"Do I really look like him!?" he cried in alarm. Sure it was alright the first time and second but if this was going to keep happening he might as well just wear a mask for the rest of his stay in this crazy country!

"We don't know that for sure yet, until we see him." Alice said reassuringly as she patted the man who was in the verge of pulling his hair in frustration. She giggled when he pouted and wore his mask dejectedly. He took the keys that were dangling on the maid's belt and dragged her body inside a room. Softly, closing the door behind him, he rushed back to the huge metal doors that guarded the Count's secrets.

"After we get this guy, were solving my mysterious look alike. If I don't get this off my chest it's going to drive insane."

"Alright, alright big guy."

Well, he was one of those types of people. Alice sighed as she rolled her eyes and plucked the key from his hands. Time to get back to the matter at hand, gripping her sword tightly with one hand she inserted the key with the other.

Twisting it in place a sharp click thundered through the ghostly halls. Beads of sweat were forming on her pretty face and her heart was pounding in her rib cage. She was pretty sure Andrew felt the same way when he whispered 'Did anyone hear that?'

She prayed that no one heard.

Placing her hands on one of the cold iron handles she pushed them slowly, flinching when it creaked loudly from the motion. Gritting her teeth she squeezed herself in the small space deciding against opening the door any further or it might alert the guards. Andrew followed suite but only pushed the doors with an even louder creek that Alice had to snap her head and shoot him a death glare.

Not that it was going to help.

A narrow staircase dipped down with an atmosphere of unease. The stone brick walls were devoid of any color and lights. She squinted her eyes to see the end of the staircase but it was pitch black as her armor. Placing her palm on the rough wall for support she carefully descended the stairway. The dread in their stomachs grew when the sound of moans and cries of agony reached their ears.

Once she was sure she was traversing on ground Alice adjusted her eyes through the darkness and both of the Outsiders were frozen in place at the sight before them.

A lone light bulb hung from the ceiling illuminating the horrid prison as the stench of blood and assaulted their senses. There were numerous shadows of people trapped in their prisons chained and sprawled on the floor. Clothes were filthy and torn and their bodies looked weak and damaged. Shackled by chains on their necks to the walls they noticed their presence and they huddled in packs close together in fear.

Anguish took over her senses as she stood frozen in her spot, she couldn't believe what she was seeing, she didn't want to believe what she seeing. Andrew felt his breath leave his lungs, as the scene left him speechless as he just stared at the barbarity in front of his eyes. His body wouldn't let him move, he was trapped.

Until the sound of a blade ringed through the air, Alice had broken the spell he was in. Her head hung low and she trembled gripping the hilt of her sword. "We're freeing them all." He choked and soon realized he had stopped breathing. He gasped desperately for air and shivered when Alice's voice was unrecognizable.

She was angry.

The dark corridor was filled with the loud clangs of metal onto metal as both the of the Outsiders worked their magic cutting down every chain in their path. Broken pieces of metal and iron bars littered the halls, rained down on the blood stricken floors and the cries of people begging the two to save them from their cruel fates echoed through the filthy walls.

Slaves began to stampede through the halls, running for dear freedom. She didn't know how many she had freed, Twenty? Fifty? A hundred? But both of them didn't stop until the last cell. Alice panted as she thrusted the sword on the floor and bent down to rest her head over the cold metal hilt. Sweat drenched her body as she told herself that this would cause enough chaos to distract the Count.

"Give them hell." She snarled at Andrew, who was still catching his breath.

"With pleasure."

He pulled out the thin bars of the makeshift bombs he had crafted earlier. This place didn't need to exist. The grotesque image of this prison had been seared into his mind. He didn't want to see it ever again. He ran past Alice and followed the prisoners not noticing she had stopped dead on her tracks.

Alice noticed a small passageway to the left, it was there albeit unnoticeable to the untrained eye. She drew her sword back into its sheath and continued her journey into the prison. It led to a tunnel, it was then she spotted a small cell at the end of the tunnel. The torches that hung on the walls served to show her how much place was reduced to ruins. She walked forward, eyeing the dimly lit area absent of any soul but herself and… a man inside the cell.

She had expected to see a wild animal clawing its way out of the cage the moment she made her presence. Vibrant lush of pink hair greeted her eyes, could it be? She only felt sorrow seeing the roleholder's body laying inside the dingy cell like a rotten piece of meat. His body was bruised and damaged, his clothes were torn and filthy and he wasn't dead…was he? She held her breath.

"Boris…?"

No response. Her hands acted on their own as she grappled with the iron bars. They were rust, old and brittle yet it kept her from reaching him. She called his name again. When his ears twitched she breathed a sigh of relief knowing he was still alive.

"Boris, I need you to listen." Gripping the iron bars tightly she continued.

"Quick, listen to me. We have to get you out of here."

Nothing, she tried again.

"You're…going to die if you stay here. Come with me."

He lifted his head and stared at her, not moving an inch. Chills ran down her spine when he didn't say anything. His eyes were dead, devoid of emotion. What did they do to him…Time was running out and she needed to get him out of this place. She didn't wasn't to use _that_ card but he was leaving her with no choice. If it would get him out of here, then she'd gladly use it.

"Are you alright with that? If you die right now you won't be able to see…Alice again."

There it was, a spark. A small spark within his honey colored eyes glimmered at the mention of her name. A small smile made its way to her lips, relieved to find he wasn't completely lost. His voice was weak and brittle and that tore her all into two.

"You know Alice?"

"Yes." She breathed and extended a hand, but his eyes widened and he flinched in response as if she was going to harm him. She bit her lip in anger, what did they do to him to make him flinch from a simple gesture. Count Marcus. It was time for her to sweep him away into the wild night in a rondo of rage and despair. She couldn't forgive him for what he had done to so many countless poor souls.

"Stand back."

As the chains binding him shattered, Alice made her way to the final step of their plan.

* * *

The sound of explosions rumbling through the walls told her that Andrew was putting his plans into actions. He was probably clearing a path for the prisoners. There was pounding in air, shaking of the ground and screaming from the halls as prisoners trampled upon others in a stampede, desperate to escape.

But as she dragged Boris into the chaos they had stumbled into the ballroom by accident. She noticed they weren't alone. She dragged the roleholder under the tables with her. Cold beads of sweat were trickling down her face and her heart was hammering inside her chest and Boris was staring at her wide eyed. His ears twitched in response and he had apparently picked up on her heartbeat as they huddled together.

"You're an outsider?" but before she could answer him a loud voice boomed.

"You lost him." A honeyed voice rang in mild annoyance. "Ah, Just when I went through all that trouble giving you another roleholder you just had to lose one. He was my favorite too."

Alice wished that she would never set foot on this place ever again, she hated everything about this Count Marcus. She hated how he had been making her feel, and now she was going to be haunted by his sins. She listened closely to the owner of the voice, noticing how Boris' ears were twitching terribly.

"Then again it's only been 64 time periods when I last brought in that cat, you probably were having fun playing knives and bullets with the other fat cats in the street." The voice was owned by a man who roared with laughter at his joke. Alice peered underneath the cloth spotting a man standing condescendingly on one of the tables with two figures in the distance talking with him.

"What was that I heard about Mr. Dupre escaping his cell?." The man on the table was wearing a smooth black suit and tie. His hands were wrapped in clean white gloves and he wore a pitch black fedora paired with a sickening bright green overwelt. His bangs were long to the point it covered his eyes but his erratic movements allowed Alice to catch a glimpse of his emerald eyes.

"It was a simple mistake my lord, we double checked the cells in the mansion earlier and Mr. Dupre is still in confinement. We will eliminate the servant responsible for the confusion."

"Oh, what am I saying! I can't believe you all understand me perfectly."

"Thank you, My lord Jaberwockee."

He clapped his hands in glee, as the servants gave a polite bow, before sitting on the table. He played with the silverware to appease his boredom. "Now then, I should go visit the Duke and see how he's treating the toys I gave him."

The servant hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "What should we do with Count Marcus?"

"What about him, his place is in ruins, his slaves are causing such a mess and there's no way you can ever put things back to normal now that he's lost all his roleholders" he mused before his expression turned dark. "It would be better if he just died like the both of you."

"M-my lord—"

With a snap of his fingers the servants burst into flames, writhing and screaming in pain Alice could only shut her eyes and turn away from the ugly scene before her. It felt like an eternity as the helpess cries turned silent. Amidst the roaring fire his dark silhouette stood unfazed by it all. His back casted a looming shadow that enveloped the room.

"I know you're there."

A sharp whizz alerted her senses as she tackled Boris out of the tables and into the open. Something exploded behind them, Looking behind her, the table they had used to hide from Jaberwockee has been reduced to ashes.

"Oh there you are kitty cat! I knew someone would steal you away sooner or later."

When he took a step towards them, Alice rushed towards the man and swung her sword with precision. A loud clang of metal by metal ringed throughout the room when he blocked her blade with a spoon.

"So you're the Alastair I've been hearing around even taking little Nightmare with you, how rude. Did the Count hire you to kill me? Ah, ah, ah~ Bad idea."

She bit her lip to conceal the boiling rage within her heart and continued to swing, but even with her intricate moves he still managed to dodge her with ease. She noticed him hold out his hand then a bright light swallowed the whole room. She shut her eyes tightly, swinging her blade like a crazed frenzy.

In that moment, she was slashed behind. Pain wracked her body as blood oozed out from the open wound. The intense pain made her knees weak and her breath hitch. Then, a hand wrapped itself around her neck slamming her onto the freezing tiles with brute force.

"What's with that scary mask? Did the Duke sent you? No is it the Grim~ Doesn't matter though faceless will be faceless~." Jaberwockee purred dangerously now that he was on top of her. Tapping the tip of the knife over her mask he slowly tightened his choke hold. "What's this? You can't even use magic, what a weird guy."

The searing pain was making it harder and harder to breathe.

Alice shuddered as she made contact with his cold glare but she refused to yield. It's been so long since she had a fight this intense. _'I'm not going down without a fight.'_

"Oh! Are you one of the outsiders who fell back in here with Alice?" Alice froze underneath Jaberwockee's grasp. He knew they came here? As if sensing her shock the man grinned triumphantly "Bingo. Now there's a reaction, so you really weren't an assassin? My bad. Wouldn't it be more fun to add her to my collection! Playing with slaves with the Count isn't as fun as it used to be you see. But with Alice around, all of that is going to change."

Boris felt his breath stop when he heard her name once more. The person who broke him out, was with Alice? He hissed when Jaberwockee seized a fork on the debris and swung his arm to stab Alastair. He darted towards Alastair's attacker. "Not if I kill you first!" This was his only chance to see her again. To see the only person who made him feel special.

Alice shut her eyes, waiting for the blow but when it didn't come she opened her eyes saw Boris sinking his teeth on Jaberwockee's arm in an instant. Hard. Throwing his head back he ripped a chunk of flesh. A loud shriek of pain came from the green-eyed man and he struck his assailant square on his chest.

She watched in stark horror as Boris was thrown back by force then stomped with other man's shoe to the ribs. She wanted to scream, she wanted to shout but nothing came out. Something inside her had snapped.

' _Come on Alice! Just one more riddle. Please~'_

A small snippet in her memory flashed in the confusion. There she was sitting on a branch with Boris beside her. She was pouting in defiance probably tired from all the riddled but reluctantly peeked at the cat beside her. The warm sunset splashed on his face and danced in his eyes as he told her another one in victory. His body was thrown back from laughter and he swung his legs, dangling them atop the branch. Tilting his head to the side, his eye creased with his wide grin.

' _I can't help it. I'm a cat.'_

When she had come back to her senses blood had been already splattered on her robes, she didn't know whether it was hers, Jaberwockee's or Boris' but it didn't matter. None of that mattered. The seething fury within her began to boil her blood. And she didn't recognize the voice that came out from her and the mask. The fusion of the mask's deep gruff voice and hers became more alien the more she lost herself.

"Don't… touch him!"

She hardly recognized the voice coming from her lips as they dripped with malice. She seized a butter knife, lunged and punched him taking in the satisfaction of hearing a crunch that bounced off the hallway. She slammed him on the wall. "I don't give a damn, everything here is wrong, you think you can just toy with everyone but I'm going to throw you off your preachy little throne! And I'm going to take all of it!" She snarled like an animal and tightened her grip on him till her knuckles were white.

Even when blood was dripping from his lips, he curled them to a smile.

"All of what?"

She wanted to punch him, and the more she thought about it, she could envision him beaten and defeated and it felt good. "All of your people, your servants and even your precious little kingdom. I'm going to take all of it, that you'll be begging to give me what I want!" Her cry was answered with cold laughter.

"You? Take over my throne? It's been so long since someone said something so audacious to me."

Her anger subsided when she felt a chill down her spine. That was the laugh of a merciless killer.

"It's much more enjoyable to crush someone who's bound to fail just like that foolish Hatter. Fail, then I'll be the one to take everything away from you." Placing a hand on his fedora he raised his voice to echo throughout the room. "If you defeat the remaining dukes I'll gladly face you again, Alastair."

Even in the position he was in, she wasn't fazing him at all. "Not if I get to you first. If I win you're going put things back the way they were before and never return."

"Try it. You don't even know who you're dealing with." He purred as the flesh on his arm sizzled back to normal, healed fully, as if nothing ever happened.

"You see the problem with your kind is that you're too nice."

"I can-"

"No. You can't. The biggest proof is that you have a knife in hand. You could have stabbed me earlier or even right now, but you didn't."

It her like a ton of bricks. She paled when her hands were shaking as she told herself to dig the utensil on his throat. Her breath was shaky as she positioned the knife on his throat. It was so easy. All she had to do stab him right now but…

' _I never killed anyone.'_

Just do it. But what gave her the right to take another person's life? If she took her life, wouldn't that make her the same as him. A monster. Unwrapping her fingers on the handle she let the knife fall on the tiled floor in regret. Her hands dropped to her sides. Jaberwockee smirked in triumph and dusted his coat.

"See you then, or better yet goodbye, since you'll be dead sooner or later. With a heart like yours, you'll never be able to survive." Alice gasped as she tried to grab him but disappeared in front of her and reappeared in the edge of a broken window with his back against her.

"You don't anything about this world." He gave a shoulder's glance. "And that's the worst part."

Jaberwockee snapped his fingers creating a deafening screech that echoed throughout the halls. The space started to contort and twist into shapes and sizes until finally a tear appeared. It got wider in size till a deafening thunder clapped when the hole was now taller than him. A portal had been opened.

And then he was gone.

She didn't care. Slowly, she looked around the wreckage and her expression softened when she saw Boris' body in the distance. She trailed sluggishly to his direction but it became too much for her body. As she felt herself loosing balance she stomped her foot with force to regain her balance. Her muscles were aching for her to stop but she kept trudging on forward. Her breath was hitching, her fingers trembling now that the time for action had long past.

Wearily, she made sure he was still breathing, lifting him up into her arms she placed her sword back into its hilt. She wouldn't' be needing it now. Biting her lip, Alice squeezed her eyes shut at utter frustration. _'I wasn't able to do anything.'_ Her eyes were stinging from the tears threatening to fall when she saw the state he was in.

The fate that had befallen him had been too cruel. The tiny piece of memory that had returned to her showed he was once a friendly, cheerful albeit a little mischievous person, the person he became was a prisoner. Were things going to be like this? If she kept getting her memories, wouldn't it just hurt more?

 _Crack_

The sound of glass crunching from footsteps resounded in the halls. Swiveling her head to the direction of the noise, her eyes met with none other than Count Marcus. She had only seen his face in Nightmare's attempt of drawing but there was no mistaking his facial features. It lined up all to well with the drawing.

In an instant, time seemed to freeze.

"You…" her face burned as rage dripped from the mixture of the mask's and her voice. Thankful for the mask that concealed her fury. The Count could only point an accusatory finger at her.

"You're the one who freed the prisoners-You! You ruined everything! I spent to so much time getting where I am today! I climbed this far! I killed people just so I won't be! You can't just come out of nowhere and destroy everything I have!"

The last thing she wanted to deal with was the Count. She scoffed weakly and relished how to the voice that came out from the mask sounded rough. She prepared herself for another battle despite her muscles screaming at her not to but slowly backed away when she saw numerous figures creeping up behind him.

"I'm not the one who's going to destroy what you have, they are."

The Count raised a brow at her only to turn around and see the prisoners who were making their way to him in a ghastly manner. "After everything you've done…" Alice tightened her grip on the roleholder in her arms as if she was afraid he would be taken once more. "You took your time with them and now it's their turn." She said coldly, she spun on her heel and ran.

 _The people in this world are twisted._

She didn't even dare look at the scene that was about to unfold before her very eyes. She came here for only one reason, and that was to retrieve the Chesire cat. As the heels of her shoes clipped on the tiled floors, the sound of bones cracking and tearing rang through the halls. She wanted to cover her ears but she couldn't. Forced to listen to the screams she told to herself repeatedly a mantra in her head.

 _But I that doesn't mean I have to be._

* * *

"Nightmare!?" Alice squawked as she bumped with the incubus along with Andrew when she rounded a corner. The guards and servants in the distance were going haywire trigger crazy killing everyone they could find and so were the slaves. Alice didn't want any of them to get stuck in the middle of a crossfire and now this was happening!

"What are you doing here!?"

"Don't look at me like that, you were taking too long!" he retorted and his eye narrowed when he caught sight of the cat in Alastair's arms. Andrew looked tired and exhausted but willed himself to move forward

"We need to get out of here Al!"

"Well! Can he run!?" she jabbed a finger at Nightmare trying for the love of God to get an answer from her fellow Outsider.

"Of course I ca-" Nightmare coughed, hacked and wheezed as blood started to pool from his mouth. Alice and Andrew could only purse their lips in dismay at the sickly incubus. He was adding more problems to their sticky situation.

"Ive got my hands full, Andrew you carry him."

"What No! I refuse! Alastair should be carrying me!"

Andrew looked at bewilderment athis reply and Alice's face twisted into utter disappointment when the incubus looked at her with expectation. Why… "Please do us a favor and stop with the jokes when we're in a pinch!" she snapped in a scolding manner. "I can't carry two people!"

"I'm serious."

It was at this moment she had enough. "Andrew carry him. In Piggyback."

It was an order. There was an awkward silence between the two, till Andrew shrugged with a small 'Ok' and slung the grown man on his back who was flailing his limbs in protest and embarassment. He probably wasn't expecting this.

"I'm not a child!"

His loud complaints only seemed ground the fact that he was indeed a one. As the stray bullets alerted them back on their feet Alice ran as fast as her legs could carry her, sneaking a sideways glance at Andrew to make sure he was catching up with her, given the extra…weight.

A door was blocking their path and Andrew bent down to let Nightmare fumble with the knob.

"You're going to take forever to open that-Step aside!" Alice hollered as she kicked the wooden door in desperation. Andrew gave the final blow and jammed his foot on the door, pushing it wholly aside.

He grunted as he placed a foot on the side of a closet and pushed it on the door to block the path of their pursuers. He was in his element, knocking guards out of place in the narrow hallways with every forceful kick he could muster, rushing to clear a path. Nightmare on the other hand, felt like he was about to puke with all the acrobatic feats

The sounds of gunshots were getting closer and so were the footsteps.

Alice noticed that even in the chaos they were experiencing Nightmare still had the nerve to complain and brush the issue aside. He was testing her patience that she just had to voice out her frustration. "How can you be so calm! When we're about to die!"

"Have you forgotten why you came to get him in the first place."

Huh? Why they came here? That's right. They came here to get the Chesire Cat because of his abilities. It was all because he could serve to help her in her mission. It was an ability linking doors that would serve as an amazing offense and an escape at the same time.

"A door…" she whispered to herself as she jumped to avoid a piece of debris on the halls.

"A what now?" Andrew questioned as he smacked a guard who was unlucky enough to be blocking their path.

"A door, Boris can open a door!" she skidded to a stop and motioned Andrew to follow her into a room. Once inside they threw, moved and shoved every possible object they could find to block the door.

Alice briskly walked over to what she could tell was a bathroom door and lightly shook the cat awake. She tried briskly patting his cheek but when that didn't work she huffed and pinched his nose.

He jerked awake after a few moments and gasped for breath. Alice had to make her message short and clear so she gripped his shoulder tightly and looked straight into his eyes.

"Just open any door as far away from this place!"

It took him time to digest the message but he nodded in response. He weakly placed his hand on the knob and closed his eyes. Concentrate. He jolted when he felt a sharp stab of pain in his chest as he tried to inhale deeply. Cold perspiration was trickling down his pores and stung his eyes. Thoughts raced through his mind. He didn't want to go back. He didn't want to end up in this place again. He had to escape.

His thoughts were broken when he felt the back of Alastair's finger wipe the sweat from his brow, looking up he couldn't believe his eyes. Alastair urged him to continue and the fear began to dissipate when he reminded himself that soon, he'll see Alice again.

Determination coursed through his veins as he mustered all the energy he had and light began to pour from the slits of the door. With his magic depleted and the door behind them exploded in unison, the link was complete.

"Move!"

Alastair flung the door open followed the slamming of the door shut. That was the last thing he heard and his vision turned into a sea of darkness.

* * *

 _Author Notes: It's finally here! I hope it was alright, I wasn't able to fully polish it because I was jumping over my word limit of 6k words per chapter. I'll try to shorten it a bit more in the next._


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